


Masked

by Neonbfly



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Does get violent at times but I'll tag it, Imagination, M/M, Woohoo they all get powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-05-29 05:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15066383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neonbfly/pseuds/Neonbfly
Summary: One boring day in the Commons of the Mind Palace, Roman announces to the other sides that they're all going on an adventure he created for them. It's all fun and games when they get there, until they realize there are true dangers that lurk beneath the mask of imagination.





	1. An Idea

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first fic, well, ever, so constructive criticism is welcome! Feel free to comment anything you'd like. I hope you all like this!  
> 

Virgil sat in the commons, listening to his music on shuffle. The ear buds hung low in a tangled mess beneath his head. He could just barely hear Patton rustling about in the kitchen, humming softly to the tune of “When You’re the Best of Friends,” from the Fox and the Hound. Virgil sneakily turned down his music just to hear Patton singing. Logan reclined in a chair across the room from Virgil, his face buried in his book. He was reading A Brief History of Time. Virgil could hear the pages turn periodically, and saw Logan nod occasionally in the corner of his eye. He remembered the time Logan had lent him a book about space and time. Virgil had read it out of curiosity, but didn’t understand most of it. The parts he _did_ understand, however, were quite scary.

It was nice sitting peacefully without much disruption. Virgil relaxed a little, letting his tense shoulders loosen. He rested his head on the soft pillow, and closed his eyes. Maybe he could nod off for a little bit.

“GUYS! Guys, guys, guys! Guess what I-“Virgil bolted upright at the sudden distraction. He looked at the stairs where he saw Roman running down them excitedly. He suddenly cut himself off as he tripped and fell down the last few steps right onto his stomach, landing with a loud “oof!”

“Roman!” Patton exclaimed worriedly, running in from the kitchen. “Are you alright?!” Patton crouched down over Roman, who immediately jumped back up as if nothing had happened.

“Positively perfect, Padre!” Roman dusted himself off a bit, still smiling, as Patton backed away.

Logan stuck a bookmark in his book, a little bit irritated. As he crossed over, the anger on his face subsided. Virgil hadn’t moved an inch from his couch, still staring at them warily. “Nice alliteration there, Roman,” Logan commented, failing to hide his smile.

Roman beamed at him before continuing what he had started before falling. “I just had the _best_ idea for a quest!” Roman announced, and posed rather dramatically. Virgil rolled his eyes and turned over again, crossing his arms. He still didn't turn his music back on. He'd never admit to anyone that he was slightly interested.

“Great! What was it?” Patton encouraged. Even Logan seemed slightly interested. After all, if Roman was this excited, maybe the idea was worth a chance to listen to.

“I can’t really tell you! Because…” Roman paused for dramatic effect. “You’re coming with!” Roman looked on proudly. Patton seemed excited, and Logan looked thoughtful.

“Perhaps some exercise and excitement would be adequate. After all, we’ve had nothing to do all weekend, for once,” Logan pointed out. Patton nodded, bouncing up and down excitedly. A quest with Roman would definitely be lots of fun.

“How about you, Virgil?” Roman asked cautiously, peaking beside Patton.

Virgil tensed up momentarily, and shrugged. He turned around to face them again. “I _guess_ it's fine…” Virgil didn’t want to be left alone while all the other sides were out having fun in Roman’s domain. Even if the idea was stupid. On rare occasions, Roman would invite the other sides into the dreamscape. Usually, it involved fighting some weird creature. The adventures rarely involved any plot. And most of the time Virgil was the villain.

Roman immediately noticed Virgil’s uneasiness. “You’re not the bad guy this time, Dr. Gloom.” That’d make for a change. Maybe Virgil should go. Without realizing it, Virgil's gaze softened.

“Then who is?” Patton asked him curiously. Roman was clearly excited about this as he started jumping up and down.

“I don’t know!” Roman exclaimed happily, eyes shining.

“You don’t… know?” Logan questioned, exchanging a confused glance with Patton. “How can you not know if it’s your own creation?”

“I’m letting the room do its own thing. I wanted a mystical journey. We’ll all get magic powers, and we have to fight the bad guy. I suppose it’s gonna be some super beefy villain we’ll defeat in an epic battle,” Roman shrugged, punching the air for show.

“Wow, that sounds _so_ safe,” Virgil commented dryly. He slowly got up from the couch and went over to join the other sides in their conversation. Patton moved over to let Virgil into the circle.

“Sure is!” Roman said, pushing aside the sarcasm. Patton gaze had lit up at the mention of magic powers. Logan actually seemed somehow intrigued about this. “It will be ready by later tonight!”

“That should serve well with our schedule,” Logan nodded, pleased with the idea.

“Of course it does, we have nothing going on,” Virgil retorted. Patton gave him a look, and Virgil shuffled his feet a little under Patton’s gaze.

“After supper, then-“Patton jumped up suddenly. “Supper! I forgot about it! The cookies will burn!” He ran back into the kitchen to tend to what’s in the oven. _Cookies_? Virgil thought. Maybe they’re just for dessert. They didn’t need to eat, considering they’re just constructs, but it was still enjoyable. Besides, Patton loved cooking, even though Thomas didn’t know how to.

Logan shook his head disapprovingly, and returned to his chair. Roman ran back upstairs, presumably to prepare the world. That left Virgil standing alone. Virgil put his ear buds in once more, and stuck his hands in his hoodie pockets. He didn’t have anything to do until it was time to eat, so he walked back to the couch and tried to fall asleep. A few minutes passed by… 

-o-0-o-

“It’s time for dinner!,” Patton exclaimed from the kitchen, waking up Virgil. He groggily walked to the table, where Roman was already sitting, talking enthusiastically to Patton about his ideas. Patton listened intently as he set the table. Logan walked in after Virgil. Patton greeted him and asked about his book, where Logan spilled into an all too complicated explanation of the theory of relativity. Roman listened in with half an ear, as he stuffed his food into his mouth. Virgil poked at his food a little. He took a few bites and ate slowly. He paused for a while, listening to the sides banter with each other. It always took time for Virgil to completely wake up.

He barely even noticed that Patton had asked him a question. “Huh?” He asked quietly, glancing up at Patton.

Everyone was looking at him. It set Virgil on edge. He didn’t like being the center of attention. “How was your nap?” Patton repeated, understandingly. Patton took another bite of his supper.

“Oh, good,” he responded. Still recalculating, he thought to himself. The other sides started talking again. Virgil took another small bite. Roman announced that he finished, and stood up. Patton set aside the little bit of food he had left, and Logan stood up, finished the last part he had. Virgil looked down at his full plate in annoyance, but nevertheless followed everyone to Roman’s room. He would probably get something to eat in there. Not that he really cared, anyway.

They stood in front of his door before Roman stopped them. “Now, be prepared to enter the coolest place ever! Close your eyes.” Logan protested a little, before giving in. Patton put his hand over his eyes, while Virgil begrudgingly complied. Roman guided them into the room. “Alright, you can open your eyes now!” The three opened their eyes and gaped at the sight. They were in the middle of a vast field, bordered by a forest and mountains scraping across the sky.

The field was dotted with flowers of all kinds. The forest stretched on for who know how long. Virgil looked behind him. Roman shut the door and it vanished into nothing. Virgil saw what looked like a camp of sorts, with people running about. It was bordered by the dark forest. Virgil looked around once more. By the mountains, he swore he could just make out black clouds randomly swirling in the sky. A storm brewing, perhaps?

He instinctively stuck his hands into his hoodie pockets for comfort. The sun was slowly setting. The sky looked like it had been set on fire. The hues of orange and red covered the land, like flames licking at the sky. Virgil looked at the others. They were gaping at the view as well. Patton was completely star-struck, and Logan was rather impressed. Who wouldn’t be?

Roman awaited their responses eagerly. He was quite proud of himself. “Wow, Roman, this is…” Patton started, but couldn’t find the right word to describe the sight.

“Wow,” Logan finished for him. Roman looked at Virgil.

“Uh, yeah, it’s great, I guess,” Virgil managed to get out, and kicked the ground with one foot. Roman knew the hidden undertone that Virgil actually was impressed, just decided not to show it. Virgil had to reluctantly give Roman credit for making such a beautiful scene. He tried to ignore an odd feeling surfacing inside of him. Whatever it was would be dealt with another day.

“Well? Shall we get started?” Roman asked, smiling. Patton nodded ecstatically. Logan smiled and nodded. Virgil shrugged. They were here, after all. He might as well get it over with. Maybe it actually would be fun.


	2. Powers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sides visit the camp of elves they appeared next to.

Patton led the group across the flowery field by skipping through it. The joyful light in his eyes seemed to laminate the entire field with a light as bright as the sun. The wind blew through the grass, causing a rustling noise to escape from it. The trees swayed in the breeze. It was rather mesmerizing. Together, they walked across the vast field into the camp.

Elvish people walked out to greet them. Patton immediately entered the establishment with Logan at his side. Roman hesitated before entering. It looked peaceful enough. The camp entrance had two trees leaning together to form a triangle. Moss hung down from it, with bright pink flowers sprouting from the mossy stalks. Virgil noticed Roman’s hesitance to enter. “What’s the matter, Princey?” he asked.

Roman seemed reluctant to answer. “I’ve dealt with elves before but…. They’ve never been really that friendly,” he explained. Roman shifted his feet a little under the gaze of a few curious elves.

“That’s just based off of your past experiences, right?” Virgil asked. Roman nodded. “Maybe these people are different. Plus, your room put us here for a reason.” Roman smiled  at the point Virgil had brought up. Seeing Logan and Patton conversing with some of the elves, he walked through the entrance. Virgil hung back for a second, glancing at the layout before deciding to join the others.

Elves had rushed to finally greet them. Some were children, others were older. Most of the adults held back, watching their children. They didn’t seem to hold any grudges in their gazes. In fact, they appeared quite peaceful. “Welcome,” a voice boomed out from their right. The sides spun around to see a highly decorated elf walk out. His translucent wings were folded behind him. Ornate patterns swirled on the pair of wings.

“Greetings!” Patton replied exuberantly. He was practically bouncing up and down at the chance to meet new people. Logan nodded to the newcomer. He was dressed in tribal-like clothing. Obviously, he was of major importance within this community. The figure drew closer to them, and smiled warmly at them. He was well-built and muscular.

“My name is Malachi. I am the leader of our Village. Who are you?” he asked curiously. The other elves had gathered round to listen to the newcomers. A few of the children still ran rampant, while others watched the sides.

“I am Roman, a prince from a far-away land,” he announced. Some of the elves started to chatter a little at the mention of a prince. “This is Virgil, and here is Logan. And-“

“I’m Patton!” Patton cut him off, jumping forward. Roman gave him a blank stare, and Patton smiled sheepishly and walked backwards to the other three sides. A couple of the children giggled.

“What brings newcomers like you here today?” Malachi asked, folding his arms.

“We’re here for a quest,” Roman explained. Malachi nodded interestingly, motioning for him to continue. “Do you have anything for us?” Roman got straight to the point. His tone was strong.

Malachi thought for a moment. “As a matter of fact, we actually do. Here,” he swept aside the vines hanging down from his hut, “we can talk. Feel free to converse with the Village. We can meet at anytime.” Roman nodded and walked back to the sides as Malachi retreated back into his hut.

“Well?” Roman asked them, crossing his arms. 

“I think we should take this time to learn more about the elves. It would be beneficial to our quest, and in our understanding of them,” Logan suggested. Virgil shrugged.

“I just want to get to know them! Meeting new people is always fun!” Patton added.

“Yes, that’s what I-“Logan began irritably.

“We could split up,” Roman suggested. “Then we can perform whatever tasks we want. Let’s meet back here in, what, fifteen-ish minutes?” The other sides nodded. It seemed rather reasonable. The elves had already dispersed, so it would be easier to split up. The others turned around to leave. Roman paused and called them back. “Fair warning- I’m not entirely sure how this will work out. I think they’re kind of like NPC’s, so their dialogue might be weird,” he said, shrugging.

Logan nodded thoughtfully. “That would make sense.”

Patton’s face fell slightly, however. “Oh, well, they’re still new people,” he said, smiling again. Roman turned around and left. The other sides went off in their own directions. Virgil held back. Talking to people obviously wasn’t really his thing...

“Greetings!” he heard a voice pipe up from behind him. He swung around to see a very young, starry-eyed elf.

“Hi,” he responded. “Who are you?” he asked. Inwardly he face palmed. That wasn’t the best way to start a conversation. But if she was just the equivalent of an NPC, then maybe it wouldn’t end badly.

“I’m Andromeda!” she replied excitedly. That explained a lot. The patterns on her clothes were reminiscent of space, and her eyes were a deep purple. It was as if peering into them would cause you to gaze into the depths of the universe. “Who are you?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

He smiled. “I’m Virgil,” he said softly.

“Alright, Verizon!” she replied happily. Virgil shrugged it off. “Want to play hide and seek with Fenix and Nova?” she invited. He guessed that no matter what he responded, he would end up playing. He also didn’t want to hurt her feelings. He nodded, but she was already leading him into the center of the camp clearing, next to the fire where two other children, Fenix and Nova were waiting. A butterfly fluttered by. Nova was immediately distracted by it, and jumped up to catch it. Or at least, tried to. She fell down to the ground and sniffled. “Nova is my sister,” Andromeda explained.

As Virgil looked closer, the similarities between them began to show. They had similar patterns on their clothes, and their eye colors were both the same intense purple. “Who’s gonna be it?” Fenix asked. Everyone paused for a moment. It weirded Virgil out. “Nose goes!” He yelled. Virgil quickly put his hand on his nose out of reflex.

“Haha! Andromeda, you’re last!” Nova yelled. Andromeda pouted and began to count to twenty. Fenix and Nova scrambled away and Virgil’s gaze swept around camp. He could hide behind one of the many huts. Or a tree. He realized it would be unfair to hide behind one of the outer pillars, since they bordered the camp and he figured the children weren’t allowed outside the camp walls. Instead, he ran to the nearest bush he could find, and crouched behind it. Andromeda finished counting and announced that she would find everyone. Andromeda heard a giggle from behind her, and hobbled on over to the source of the noise, only to uncover her sister hiding behind another elvish woman. The woman moved over and revealed Nova to Andromeda. Andromeda leapt forward into Nova and tickled her. A bout of giggles escapes both of them.

“Uh, Virgil?” he heard a voice from behind him. Virgil turned around to see Logan standing over him. “What are you doing down there?” Virgil felt his face heat up. He was suddenly thankful that he remembered to apply so much foundation this morning.

“I’m… uh, playing hide and seek,” Virgil muttered. He looked back up to Logan to see amusement swimming in his eyes. This caused Virgil to heat up even more.

“Verizon! Verizon! I found you!” Virgil heard Andromeda yell and turned around to see her running across the clearing with Nova and Fenix following her in a fit of giggles. Andromeda jumped onto Virgil, with Fenix and Nova piling up on top of him as well. “Verizon?” Logan asked. He could barely contain his laughter anymore. Virgil rolled his eyes in embarrassment as the three elves jumped off of him when Andromeda’s mother yelled at her.

Andromeda’s mom walked over to Virgil. “I apologize, Virgil. That’s your name, right?” she checked. Virgil nodded as he dusted himself off.

“No, it’s Verizon,” Andromeda pouted. Her mom looked at Virgil apologetically. She lifted Andromeda up off of her feet, and held her close.

“I’m Ruby,” she told him, cradling Andromeda in her arms. Logan held out his hand, and Ruby shook it with a free arm. “I hope she wasn’t too much of a bother,” she said, glancing down at her daughter sternly.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. She wasn’t,” Virgil promised. Ruby smiled warmly. Virgil felt a sharp prod in his side, and turned around to see Logan pointing at the center. Patton and Roman had already gathered there, waiting for Virgil and Logan to join them. Virgil nodded and waved to Ruby and Andromeda, who stuck her tongue out at him. He stuck his out back at her, and walked over to the others.

“Virgil made a friend!” Patton greeted when he got there. Virgil shrugged. “I met a bunch of people! They’re very nice. There’s Mai, Alai, Freyalia-“

“Oh, yeah! Freyalia! She loved my outfit,” Roman cut in, twirling in a circle.

“Yeah! But she kept calling me Put On,” Patton said, confused.

Roman stopped twirling and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Yeah, they might not hear you correctly. It happens sometimes.”

“That’s all quite interesting, but we must depart now. Malachi is waiting,” Logan reminded them. Patton and Roman stopped their conversation and brushed aside the vines draping down from the entrance. Inside, a sweet aroma filled the room. It smelled like lavender. It was quite hot in there. Virgil thought it was due to the dozens of magical torches keeping the room lit. Still, he kept on his hoodie. Flowers bloomed on the walls and the moss hanging down the sides. No sunlight or moonlight filtered in here. The front of the room had an elevated platform with a bed of straw on it.

In front of the bed was a makeshift pedestal. Malachi was watching them from behind it. Both of his hands were folded on it. “Hello,” he greeted them. “Thank you for coming here,” he said with a slight bow. His wings folded as he bowed down, the light reflecting a rainbow pattern on them. He straightened himself back up and smiled at the sides. “Feel free to make yourselves at home.” Roman relaxed his shoulders a little, and Patton smiled back. Logan straightened out his posture some more to look professional. Virgil stuck his hands in his hoodie pockets, still uneasy and untrusting.

“You said you had a quest, correct?” Roman asked, composing himself.

Malachi nodded solemnly. “First, you must become familiar with the recent events of this land.” Malachi paused for a moment and his face grew serious. Virgil supposed this was the equivalent of a cut-scene. “Shortly ago, in a kingdom frighteningly close, the king was killed. The kingdom was left severely weakened. A new ruler swept in, promising greatness. He convinced the entire kingdom to let him lead them. It wasn’t hard, considering how desperate they were.

“He picked them up and set them back on their feet. The kingdom flourished, but his heart turned darker. His ambitions lead him to seek even more power. He cast shadows that swept across the land, otherwise known as the Darkness.” He looked at their faces, which were waiting for him to continue. Virgil had to give Roman… or the room? credit for coming up with such an intricate back story. “The Darkness is slowly creeping through the Forest of Light. It’s turned darker, and thorns have sprouted on the plants. We were able to fight it back, until the arrival of Ne’hiah, the Shadow Dragon.”

Logan tilted his head to the side. “And you would like us to defeat them?” Malachi stared blankly at Logan for a moment. Logan glanced at the others in confusion.

“You want us to fight them?” Roman asked, rephrasing Logan’s question. Malachi nodded, closing his eyes. Virgil hid his amusement at Logan’s irritated face. Patton shook his head fondly. The more important... NPC's...? must only work for Roman.

“With Ne’hiah dead, the forest will be reverted back to its original state. She is the one keeping it trapped in a dark web. Are you still willing to complete this challenge?” he checked, opening up one eye.

Patton sniffed, but Roman seemed ecstatic. “Of course! When should we go?” Logan sent him a disapproving glance. They’d have to have more time to plan and strategize, didn’t they? Virgil inwardly wished he had more time to prepare as well. He didn’t want to go into an evil forest, let alone fight a dragon. He shivered, thinking of the stories Roman had told about his frequent battles against dragons and witches and a dragon witch. Luckily, none of the others noticed his unease.

Malachi dipped his head in respect for the brave men. “Before you begin your journey, I have gifts for you,” he announced. He turned around, and picked up a treasure chest. It had floral patterns imprinted on it, and it was rather dusty. “These should be beneficial in your quest.” He held out the box, and Roman stepped forward to take it. He nearly dropped it as Malachi let go. The box itself was heavy, but the insides felt light as Roman shook it slightly. Malachi walked around the pedestal to stand beside Roman as he popped the lid open. Inside were several bejeweled, golden items.

Roman picked up the first. It was a golden diadem, with sapphires encrusted in it. It sparkled in the torchlight. Malachi smiled. “This is a fine piece of work. It allows for enhanced thinking, and can give small glimpses to predict future movements. It’s useful for combat,” he explained. Logan looked at it thoughtfully. Virgil smiled. It was perfectly fitting for him.

Roman picked up the next item. It was a pair of light green and gold boots. “These enable flight. It might take some getting used to.” Patton’s eyes sparkled.

Roman dragged up the next piece. It was a silver sword, with a golden hilt with rubies inside of it. Malachi’s smile widened. “The hilt of the sword gives the user courage in battle, and protects them. It can help in particularly fatal conditions.” Roman looked at it admiringly before putting it back in the box.

Roman held out the last item. Malachi’s smile faltered for a moment. It was an onyx amulet. “An amulet of shadows. It always the wearer to control the shadows however they want. With some exceptions, however. You wouldn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands.” Virgil knew that this was going to be for him. Roman had reign over the room in some ways, so of course each item was fitting for each side. Did Roman think of Virgil just as a dark and broody shadowling? Virgil caught Roman’s eye and saw guilt and his gaze. Roman immediately looked away. Obviously he hadn’t meant for Virgil to see that.

Roman cleared his throat and thanked Malachi. Malachi nodded and explained how it was necessary for their quest, and that they had no need to return it afterwards. They were about to leave before Logan brought up a good point. “Where will we sleep?” Realization struck Roman’s face as he asked Malachi the same question. There was a slight blush on his face. Obviously he was still embarrassed by the mistake. He’d fix it later.

They heard Malachi chuckle from behind them. “I have a vacant hut that you four could spend the night in. It’s in the northeastern part of the village, beside the temple. You’ll be able to easily recognize it. It has three stone statues standing outside of it.” Roman thanked Malachi again and brushed aside the vines once more. As Virgil stepped through, a few of the vines fell onto his face. He brushed them away.

The group walked to the northern end of the camp, and found the three stone pillars carved to tell the stories of important elvish tales. The hut itself was decorated in bright colors that complemented each other, even in the darkness. Beside it was the ornate temple, pointing to the sky. They entered it wordlessly, and settled into their beds. Roman set the treasure box beside his bed. He muttered a good night. All of the other sides slowly fell asleep, one by one. Roman was the first, then Patton, and last Logan. Virgil tossed and turned for most of the night. He found it weird falling asleep in a bed that wasn’t his. He tried to brush away his insecurities. He was with the others, after all. He shut his eyes, trying to relax. He listened to the sound of the others breathing... Next thing he knew, he was fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha I tried to make it not too OC centered since most people don't like it- so I made them basically NPC's. I'm not too sure how it worked out lol. Feedback is appreciated!


	3. Shadow Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sides go into the corrupted Forest of Light in order to defeat the evil Shadow Dragon, Ne'hiah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, TW- there's a lot of fighting and blood mentions. There are deep injuries and wounds too. It all starts when the battle initiates. I can post a summary next chapter to be safe.

Virgil woke up to the light through the tent entrance onto his face. He rubbed his tired eyes to adjust to the brightness. He pushed himself up and blinked a few times. He hadn’t changed out of his clothes from last night, and wasn’t planning on changing today. Remarkably, they didn’t smell bad, nor did they retain any wrinkles. They were just a construct of the room, after all.

Roman was already up, staring at the treasure chest and its contents in heavy contemplation. Patton was walking around, and Logan was sitting up in his bed. He had clearly only just woken up. “Morning, Virgil!” Patton’s cheery voice brought Virgil back to full consciousness.

“Morning, dad,” Virgil muttered in reply. He stood up out of the bed and stretched. He didn’t like waking up this early. Personally, he preferred hiding under his bed until the sun went away. He brought his attention to Roman, who also stood up, holding the treasure box.

“We have to choose who gets what today. I think that I should get the sword. I am an experienced fighter, after all,” he said with a knowing smile. He rested the box on one of his bent legs and pulled out the sword. He admired it for a moment before sheathing it and inserting it into the baldric of his belt.

“I’ll take the boots! I guess I’d look pretty  _fly_ in them!” Patton joked. Virgil cracked a smile while the other sides groaned. Patton winked at Virgil before taking the boots out of the box and putting them on his feet. Patton wiggled his feet a little and lifted off the ground. He gasped in shock and excitement, before falling over. Patton shook his head on the ground and stood back up.

Roman bit back a laugh as he pulled out the diadem. “I’ll take that,” Logan said. “It would be the most useful to me. I could use it to aid you in combat, and the prediction of movements will be especially beneficial to all of us. Malachi also stated that it enhances your thinking.”

“Alright, Mr. Know-it-all,” Roman said while handing Logan the diadem, who took it delicately.

“Now, now, Roman, there’s no need for name-calling,” Patton scolded, folding his arms. Roman shrugged and pulled out the dark amulet.

“That leaves Virgil,” he said. “You alright with that, Corn on the Sob?” He earned a disapproving glance from Patton. Still, Virgil didn’t miss the concern hidden in both the paternal and fanciful sides’ gazes.

Virgil shrugged. “I mean, no one else is using it, so…” he grabbed the amulet from Roman and put it on. He instantly felt a chill and stumbled. Patton look of concern deepened, and Roman glanced at Logan for some insight. Logan was looking for a way out of this situation.

“You alright, kiddo?” Patton checked, holding out his hand for Virgil.

“Yeah, this will just take some getting used to,” he mumbled, catching his balance. He looked away from Patton.

“So will these,” Patton said with a wiggle of his left foot, trying to get rid of the tension in the room.

Roman set the box down and stood up. “Now that we have it all sorted, we should go take care of Nehemiah.”

“Ne’hiah,” Logan corrected, fixing his glasses.

“Yeah, her,” Roman said, half paying attention. He looked back to the sides, who walked over beside him. He pushed aside the vines blocking the entrance and was greeted with a few of the elvish children. Andromeda turned around when her sister Nova prodded her side.

“Momma said you’re gonna leave,” Andromeda said, looking up to them. Roman nodded. “Here’s a Light seed,” she said, handing a seed that looked like an acorn to Logan. Roman smiled. Virgil rolled his eyes. Looks like Roman fixed the issue with the people only paying attention to him. “It flashes into a burst of light. They used to grow all over the Tree of Light, but that’s been covered by the corruption,” she explained. “You’ll need it,” she said, turning away.

_That’s slightly foreboding_ ¸Virgil thought. Nova smiled and ran over to her sister, who was holding her mom’s hand.

“Well, that’s foreboding,” Logan pointed out, voicing Virgil’s thoughts. He pocketed the Light seed.

“You think?” Virgil said. Roman motioned the sides to the exit. The others followed after him, before they were stopped by Malachi calling them from behind.

“You have all done us a great deed. We wish you the best of luck,” Malachi dipped his head and bid them farewell.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Roman replied gratefully.

“Of course,” Malachi smiled. “You have no need to return the gifts, either. Now, go. You mustn’t waste your time.” He bowed down and left them. Other elves had gathered to say goodbye to the travelers. As the sides exited the door, they heard them wish them good luck. Virgil recognized Ruby waving to them as he looked back. They didn’t stop walking once they were outside of the camp. A path had veered around the camp and into the forest. It was dark and shady. In the distance, Virgil could see dark clouds gathered above the Forest of Light in a swirling mess. The sight sent chills down his spine.

“Are you ready?” Roman asked all of them. Patton nodded determinedly, and Logan gave a curt nod. Virgil looked away. He didn’t like the vibes he was getting from the forest. Together they set off on their journey into the dark forest. At first, it wasn’t nearly as dark as Virgil expected it to be. He could hear birds chirping, and saw butterflies flutter through the air. Bushes grew along the twisted, rocky path, and the trees streaked high into the sky, with their dark green leaves fully grown. Vines draped down from branches, and moss grew on the ground and the trees themselves.

The other sides made little conversation as they went through the forest. “Guys! Look!” Patton said in a hushed voice suddenly. He pointed at a small clearing, full of fallen leaves, and a stream running through. Virgil could hear the rush of the water from where he stood. A deer bent over in the center, drinking from the creek. Its light brown fur bristled in the slight breeze. Small white spots dotted its legs and ears. Its white tail stuck up from behind it as it crouched down to drink. The deer’s ears went up and its head swerved to look at Patton. It looked fearful for a moment, before gracefully bounding into the forest. Patton’s jaw was wide open as he looked at where the deer had disappeared in awe.

“A female deer,” Logan concluded. “She had no antlers, and her tail and form were that of the females.”

“Wow, Lo! That’s so smart!” Logan looked away from Patton, and Virgil swore he saw a slight blush on his cheeks. _What a dork_ , he thought. Roman was also watching them in amusement, and glanced at Virgil who avoided returning his gaze.

As they continued on, with few conversations from the others, Virgil felt increasingly worried. The birdsong gradually decreased and the forest life had become almost nonexistent. Unease crept along his spine. He was about to mention it, but then they reached a large clearing. As they stepped in, Virgil instantly felt colder. The air around them immediately chilled.

The trees were knocked down, with smoke rising up from them. Virgil looked up to the sky. Dark, almost pitch black clouds covered them. The only light source was the small embers rising up from trees. Suddenly, darkness swirled around them until they could barely see. “Well, well, well, what brings these travellers into _my_  midst?” a voice called out from around them. Roman and Patton instantly started looking for the source. Logan narrowed his eyes in confusion.

A loud rumble sounded in front of them. Terror seized Virgil as he saw two- no, five blazing amber eyes staring right at him from across the clearing. The eyes raised a little, along with the head of the large black dragon. Huge, pointy horns grew out of the dragon’s head. Massive wings lifted into the air as her tail swung angrily. Virgil glanced at the others, who were still looking at possible places for the dragon to be in. Was he the only one seeing this?

Virgil felt Roman’s shoulder brush up against his as he pulled out his sword protectively and got into a battle stance. Patton clenched his fists, and Logan suddenly pressed his fingers to his diadem. Logan’s eyes flashed for a moment. Ne’hiah took a great breath, her chest lighting up with purple flames. “Duck!” Virgil and Logan screamed simultaneously. The other sides immediately complied, with a “quack!” from Patton.

A large stream of purple fire aimed right at where their heads just were barely missed them, setting the trees behind them on fire. The light from the fire was bright enough to see the dragon more clearly as she slunk over to them. She had a long scar over her snout. She bared her teeth at them, snarling. The black scales would be more beautiful if she weren't trying to kill them.

Her eyes narrowed at them before she prepared to breathe fire once more. A purple light filtered through her chest as smoke started streaming out of her nostrils. “We have to fight her!” Roman yelled, as Ne’hiah broke out another stream of fire. He barely dodged out of the way, separating him and Virgil. She raised her front leg and was about to strike Roman before she got distracted by Patton throwing a rock at her head. She winced and turned towards him menacingly.

She hissed,about to run over to Patton before Roman impaled her other leg with his sword. She let out a furious roar. “She’s about to take off!” Logan yelled. Roman nodded and jumped onto Ne’hiah’s back with a determined light in his eyes. She tried to shake him off, and reared up on her back two legs. She flung out her wings and flew up. Her wings flapped sporadically as she shook her head back and forth. Roman held on tight, and climbed up her head and held onto her horns.

Patton jumped into the air, and performed a swimming like motion to join him. She flung her head to the side, causing Roman to lose hold on her right horn. He dangled in front of her, sitting on her snout. He smiled apologetically at her. She breathed out a huff of smoke and tipped her head forward, raising an arm to scrape him off. “I got you kiddo!” Patton yelled as Roman fell off, catching him mid air. The weight was too much for both of them, and they fell to the ground together with a small yelp from Patton.

At least they fell slowly. Both of them hit the ground with an “umph” noise. “She’s going to fly away,” Logan warned. Sure enough, Ne’hiah was preparing to fly into the sky whilst clutching her injured leg. Virgil considered using his amulet, and tried to summon something, just anything, to help them.

Roman flung his sword at her, catching her wing and tearing a rift into it. The sword plummeted to the ground, about twenty meters away. She let out a screech and dropped down, glaring at him. She snapped at the sides, and they each scrambled out of the way. Virgil hid behind one of the broken trees. Her amber eyes focused solely on Roman as she panted.

She tried to snap at him, before running after him. She wasn’t as agile as earlier, with her hurt leg, and cradled her left wing close to her body. She hobbled closer and repeatedly nipped at him. Roman tried to frantically run away. “Left!” Logan shouted. Roman ducked the oncoming blow from her left arm, barely grazing his arm, leaving shallow cuts on it.

She took a deep breath, and Patton threw an even sharper rock, but it didn’t even faze her. He scrambled to his sword and picked it up, just as she was about to breathe out. He jumped out of the way, and her head followed his body, leaving a trail of fire as he jumped over a few logs. She reared up on her legs as Roman got into a defensive stance. “Virgil! Do something!” he shouted back

at Virgil. Virgil took a deep breath and tried again. He couldn’t get anything to work. He was too worried. He attempted to relax. “Right!” Logan yelled, but Roman was too late to react and was knocked on his side. Virgil felt pure fear and finally, something happened. In his hand hovered a highly unstable shadow orb. It would have to do.

Patton yelled and flew on top of the dragon. He stood on her neck, putting both hands on her horns, and attempted to yank her head backwards. All it did was make her even angrier, as she reared back and flung him over. Patton yelped as he was thrown into the air, but caught himself this time. Roman tried to scramble up, but got caught and fell over.

Ne’hiah smirked and raised a claw. Logan ran over and picked up a large rock, and dropped it on her foot. She hissed, and kicked him away. Logan sat on the ground in ball as the wind had been knocked out of him. As Roman was coiled up, she turned back to him, and threw out her claws to hit him before Virgil threw the shadow ball straight at her. She turned and looked at the sudden motion, eyes widening as a massive explosion took place.

Roman was thrown far away, but not before he could be cut by her sharp talons. He landed by a tree at the edge of the clearing. He tried not to move, lest he make the wound even worse.

Patton got thrown higher into the sky before falling back slowly, looking around worriedly for Roman. Logan had landed in a thorny bush. When Patton’s eyes fell on Roman, pure terror flooded through him. “Roman!” he yelled. Virgil stood up shakingly. He gripped his right arm in pain. Was there something wrong with it?

Virgil couldn’t tell. The smoke by Ne’hiah cleared, and her orange eyes were filled with a sick courage. A twisted smile formed on her snout. “That wasn’t the smartest move,” she grumbled at Virgil. “I’m made of shadows, you realize?” She glanced at her once injured wing, to find it had been healed. She lifted up her injured leg to test it, sneering as she realized that it also had healed over. Her sharp teeth shown through her hazy, dark aura. “You just doomed your ‘friend’s’ lives,” she snarled.

Roman’s eyes wandered over to Virgil. Virgil couldn’t quite make out the fanciful side’s facial features until he squinted. Roman turned away, but Virgil saw hurt, fury, and betrayal in his injured look. Logan stirred a little, and rubbed his head. Ne’hiah lifted her wings. “You just made my life  _so_ much easier,” she growled. She breathed in the hazy smoke, and prepared a large bout of fire.

“The seed!” Logan shouted suddenly, standing up abruptly. He clutched his injured left hand, which had a deep cut from a long thorn. Scratches were visible and bleeding all over his body. “The Light seed! If shadows make her stronger-“

“Then light makes her weaker!” Patton finished, looking back at Logan. Ne’hiah swung her head towards him. Patton yelped as he made eye contact with the dragon, before he flew towards Logan. Logan took out the seed and threw it up to Patton, who caught it, midair.

“Look out!” Logan yelled, as Ne’hiah suddenly turned around to whack Patton with her tail. Patton dodged it by quickly flying upwards, and flew closer towards her. She tried to bite him, and flew up herself. Patton held the seed in front of him, praying that he would use it correctly. He hit it with his free hand, shutting his eyes tight, and Ne’hiah’s eyes widened as she screamed out “No!” A bright flash of white light consumed them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, oops, my hand slipped. Sorry not sorry. Especially for the cliffhanger.


	4. Left

Virgil dared to open his eyes again. The shape of Ne’hiah had fully dissipated. The Shadow Dragon faded from existence with a disembodied roar. Patton looked back to see the see her form had vanished. Logan coughed in the hazy dust cloud from behind him, and ran towards Patton, who lowered down to the ground, holding the seed. The seed had been broken open, and was smoking. It must have been a onetime use thing.

Virgil’s thoughts were going at a thousand miles per hour. He had failed them. Completely, utterly failed them. It was his job to protect them, yet he hadn’t done one useful thing. When they needed help the most, he simply made it worse. For all he knew, Roman could be dying and it would be his fault.

_Failure, pathetic, idiot, screw-up, it’s all your fault it’s all your fault it’s all your fault_ \- he clenched his teeth and gripped his head in his hands, tears falling from his eyes. He tried to steady his breathing, following the pattern that Logan had taught him. _5-7-8…_ he repeated to himself.

He glanced up at the sides. Logan smiled at Patton in relief, and started to praise him. The two hugged, but Virgil wasn’t paying attention to them. He shakily rose to his feet. Patton’s joyful gaze was immediately replaced by worry as soon as he saw Logan’s hand. “Roman,” Virgil managed to choke out, steadying himself again. Logan looked at Virgil in confusion. Virgil pointed to where Roman had landed. 

Terror filled Patton’s gaze as he immediately ran after him. Patton kneeled beside him and attended to him, but Virgil didn’t see what Patton was doing. He was caught off guard by Logan staring right at him, his gaze unreadable. Virgil squinted at him. Dots filled Virgil’s vision, making it hard to focus on the logical side. Patton brought Roman over to Logan, and laid him on a patch of soft moss.

The dark sky started to clear, just as Malachi said would happen once Ne’hiah was defeated. Logan immediately took out a first aid kit he had known to bring along. Virgil’s vision danced in and out. He saw spots flutter across his sight, but he never lost consciousness.

A few minutes past with Virgil was still staring at the ground. Logan had stood up after finished bandaging Roman. Roman slowly stood up, wincing in pain. Logan helped him up, telling him to take it easy. “Virgil?” Roman asked, looking at him. Virgil didn’t respond, trying to delay the inevitable. “Virgil!” Roman said again. Virgil flinched and looked up at him. “What. The hell. Was that?” he asked furiously.

Virgil winced and averted his gaze. He looked at Logan, who was eyeing him coldly. “Who would have thought to make a _faulty shadow ball_ at a _shadow_ dragon? It’s illogical. Your actions nearly got us all killed.” Logan said, his calm tone not betraying the fury in his eyes. His icy gaze terrified Virgil. Virgil looked at the ground, tears forming in his eyes. Logan uncrossed his arms and clenched his fists, not caring how much it hurt.

“Logan!” Patton gasped, trying to calm him down. How could he be so rude?

“No, he’s right! Virgil almost killed us all!” Roman defended Logan.

“But he _didn’t_ ,” Patton pointed out. Patton looked at them with a pleading gaze, but neither of them seemed to care.

“That doesn’t matter! He dealt massive damage to the both of us, and nearly you! I’m not letting him just flaunt around after nearly causing our deaths!” Logan snarled.

“I didn’t-I-I didn’t mean to-“Virgil stammered, squinting his eyes. His head hurt so much.

“But you did it anyway! Just… Go…” Logan sighed, dismissing him as he turned away. Roman glared daggers at him. Pain and anger flooded Roman’s gaze. Virgil stood up, tears streaming down his face, and ran into the dark forest.

“Now guys let's- Kiddo!” he heard Patton try to call him, but he ignored him.

-o-0-o-

Virgil ran and didn’t stop running. He didn’t care that his muscles were screaming at him to stop, and his eyes burned from the tears falling. He kept running until he couldn’t even bear to stand. He collapsed in the middle of a forest, realizing he had no idea where he was. Virgil sat down, catching his breath. He gripped his knees and rested his head. He was stupid. He messed up, big time. Of course the other sides would shun him. Who wouldn’t?

He sat in the middle of a small clearing. He could hear the tweet of the birds suddenly stop. He was left in perfect silence. Fireflies flew around the clearing, and flowers dotted the grass. He heard footsteps rustle the ground. “Hey,” a voice spoke from behind him. At first he thought it was Logan, but the voice didn’t have the tone of any of the sides they were adventuring with…

He looked around to see the Shadow Master that the camp had told him about. A dark, hazy aura surrounded him. He was dressed in a black suit and had a dark hat. A rose was pinned to his chest. He wore a dark mask with elaborate patterns etched into it. Claws extended at the end of his fingers, and a scaly tail- wait...

Virgil leapt up, breathing quickly. “What are you doing here?!” He fought down panic again, trying to steady his breath again.

“I might ask you the same thing,” The Shadow Master replied calmly, a sly grin rested on his face. He took a step forward towards Virgil. Virgil shuffled his feet on the soft ground uneasily. The stars and moon above shone brightly on their faces. He snapped his fingers. Long, thin, shadow-like tendrils slunk across the ground towards Virgil. Virgil gasped and tried to step away, but the shadows took ahold of his feet and tripped him. They took their chance and strapped him to the ground. Virgil struggled, blinking away tears. He hated being trapped. He hated this whole experience.

The Shadow Master sneered. “Well? Why _are_ you here?” he asked. When Virgil didn’t answer, he twisted his hand. The shadows climbed up to Virgil’s neck.

“I messed up,” he choked out. “They don’t like me anymore," Virgil said, looking away.

“Yeah, well, did they ever?” The Shadow Master asked, closing his eyes and yawning. “They threw you out like that. What do you think that means? ”

“I…I…” Virgil stammered, trying to squirm out of the shadows as they crawled up his face. “They obviously don’t want you. Why else would they want to throw you out? Shouldn’t they have come after you?” The Shadow Master pointed out.

Virgil shut his eyes tight, fighting more. The shadows’ grips tightened on him. The ones on his face forced him to move his mouth in its own way, but he wouldn’t do what they made him do. “It doesn’t m-matter. They’re still...my family. I deserve it.”

“What kind of family would throw you away like garbage?” The Shadow Master asked him, now staring at him with piercing eyes. Virgil felt tears form. The shadows were starting to hurt him...

“What kind of family would leave you?” Virgil gritted his teeth. Whatever the Shadow Master was trying to gain from him, he wouldn’t bend. He couldn’t betray his friends. His family!

"Yeah, but what kind of friend dooms their other frie-” but Virgil got cut off by the shadows covering his mouth. The Shadow Master looked unimpressed, pacing back and forth.

“It doesn’t matter. You have an interesting power from this room. It would be great to have someone like you on my side.” Sheer terror filled Virgil. He tried to scream. He couldn’t betray his family. Despite the crushing force of the shadows, he tried to fight against it once more.

“You’re always the bad guy, Verge,” the devious person in front of him snarled. “I know the feeling. And the one time you’re the good guy… you mess up. Sorry, it’s just the truth.” He narrowed his eyes and flicked away the shadows covering his mouth. They crawled up to his eyes and ears. “No!” Virgil screeched, not caring how many tears were falling at this point. He wanted to be there for his family. How much would they hate him for this? He couldn’t fall under this man’s spell!

The shadows around him convulsed and left Virgil in such unimaginable pain… he couldn’t fight back anymore... The Shadow Master’s gaze scrunched up as he stood up straight. “Let's fix that answer,” The Shadow Master summoned a purple mask with patterns etched onto it. Darkness radiated from it. "Don't worry about this, yet," he said. He flicked the shadows again and placed his hand on Virgil's forehead, who made an attempt to bite his hand. The Shadow Master sneered and snapped his fingers. Instantly, Virgil fell under a trance, his eyes becoming unfocused. "That's more like it!" he said, placing the mask on Virgil's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if that made you like... uncomfortable? It's like mind control with shadows.


	5. Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sides have to deal with the disappearance of Virgil.

“Logan! Roman! I hope you’re both sorry,” Patton reprimanded them. The fury and disappointment was obvious in Patton’s mood as he glared at them sternly. Roman shied away from the anger in Patton’s unbreaking gaze. Logan met Patton’s eyes for a moment, and his anger subsided. But Roman stuck up for himself.

“ _Virgil_ is the one who should be sorry…” he muttered, kicking the ground.

“What was that?” Patton growled. It struck Roman that Patton was terrifying when he was angry. Patton might be the emotional side, but anger isn’t something he liked to bring out. Roman took a deep breath.

“What I’m saying, is that Virgil nearly killed all of us. _He_ should be the one apologizing to us.”

“You just shoved him away. The forest is dangerous, and he was hurt. Do you think he can fend on his own?” Patton quizzed him, crossing his arms. Logan looked away. A terrifying thought seized Roman. _What if Virgil got badly injured? What if he even got…?_ Roman shook his head. He didn’t want to think that. Sudden regret overcame Roman. He had let his anger get the best of him. It wasn’t entirely Virgil’s fault. And now… Virgil was lost in a place none of them have ever explored.

“We have to find him,” Roman swore. Patton nodded slowly. He was just as worried as Roman about the anxious side.

“I’m…sorry,” Logan spoke up, “I lost my temper… If Virgil is hurt because of our actions…” he faded off. Logan looked at Patton meaningfully. Patton held out his hand, and Logan hesitated before taking it. “What I’m saying is that Virgil didn’t deserve that treatment. We have to be certain that he is safe.”

“We will find Virgil, and he will be okay. Then you both can apologize, and everything will be good,” Patton vowed. Logan admired his enthusiasm, but he still had a doubt that they would find Virgil. He shoved it away, and made sure that Patton couldn’t see him. Logan expected Patton to let go of his hand as they walked, but he still held on. Logan didn’t question it, or wish for it to end either. A slight blush crept onto his face.

He took a deep breath. He had lost control earlier. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he still had emotions. And he hated that.

He glanced at Patton. He was all of the emotions, and yet he dealt with it day to day perfectly. Patton took care of all of them. The determined look in his eyes right now proved how much he cared for Virgil alone. Logan felt a pang in his heart. Maybe emotions weren’t all that bad. _I mean, they can be important for various reasons_ , he rationalized.

Patton glanced back at Logan, and gave him an encouraging smile. Logan looked away, his face feeling hot. Patton tilted his head at him curiously, but shrugged it off, and let go of Logan’s hand. A part of Logan wished Patton hadn’t let go. But Logan knew he shouldn’t feel like that. It was unnecessary.

Together, they continued in the direction that Virgil had taken off in. They eventually reached a clearing. Empty. No sign of life. No fireflies… birdsong… “We’ll eventually find him,” Patton tried to reassure them. Logan and Roman shared a skeptical glance. Both of them knew Patton was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince them. They took off with Patton again. They didn’t make any progress and definitely didn’t find Virgil. After what felt like hours, nothing had happened.

“We need to turn back,” Roman whispered softly to Patton. Tears formed in the corners of Patton’s eyes, and Logan felt another pang in his heart. _Pity? Guilt?_ He couldn’t tell. Logan thought for a second, and held out his hand to Patton. Patton’s eyes lit up in surprise for a second, before he took it. He smiled weakly.

“We will find him. Eventually. But we need to finish this quest. He’s probably waiting in the commons right now,” Logan suggested. Patton nodded, wiping a tear off his cheek. It made the most sense, after all.

To his surprise, Roman shuffled his feet awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. “About that…”

Logan sighed and put his hand up to his forehead. “What….?”

“We can’t… really leave until the villain is defeated… It was a new rule…” Roman said awkwardly.

“Of course we can’t!” Logan said irritably, exhaling.

“So you mean Virgil is _definitely_ out there? In the darkness? Alone?” Patton asked worriedly.

“Nnn- Yeah, sortaaaa,” Roman said in a high pitched voice, shrugging apologetically.

Patton’s eyes widened. Logan squeezed Patton’s hand. “Wherever Virgil is, he will be safe. He will eventually go back to the camp. But the quest still stands- we have to finish it. With or without him,” he added. Patton didn’t look too reassured, and he looked away. He squeezed Logan’s hand again, as though to reassure himself.

Patton took a deep breath. “Okay…” he sighed. Logan caught his eye and smiled reassuringly. Patton smiled backed at him. Patton’s gaze flickered past Logan to look at Roman, and giggled. Logan didn’t want to look back at Roman. Whatever it was, it wasn’t important.

“Let’s go back to camp,” Logan suggested. 

-o-0-o-

It took a while for Logan, Roman, and Patton to make it back to the elven village, but when they did, they were greeted by several young elves. Ruby watched Andromeda run up to them and hug Patton. Patton patted her on the back. “Thank you for the Light seed,” he said to her. She smiled up at him and left to join her mom once more.

“Welcome back!” Malachi boomed. The sides looked up to see Malachi standing in the center of the crowd. Roman bowed to him, and tried to hide his wince of pain as he did so. “There’s no need for that. You are the heroes today!” He faced the crowd to address them. “These people have saved us and our future. They have defeated the great dragon Ne’hiah!” The crowd cheered. Malachi faced the sides once more. “Your wounds will be attended to. You will be treated like kings! You have done us a great service.”

Malachi bowed down and motioned them to join him in his hut. As Malachi entered, his face fell. Logan glanced at Roman in confusion. He shrugged, ignoring it. The elves dispersed once more, and smiled warmly at the group. A few congratulated them. The entire town loved them. Roman was basking in all of the praise, while Patton graciously accepted it. Even Logan smiled at the kind elves.

They pulled aside the vines draping down Malachi’s hut, and entered once more. The sweet scent of lavender overcame them. The warm air surrounded them and heated them up. Malachi spun around, alarmed. The alarm had vanished almost instantly, causing Logan to think he possibly imagined it.

“I cannot thank you enough for the service that has been done today. But, tell me, there was a fourth, was there not?” He asked, tipping his head to the side. Logan’s blood chilled. Virgil had not come back to the camp. Although he suspected Virgil never came back, he felt guilty at how he acted towards Virgil earlier. Patton nodded and spoke for them.

“He- he ran away…” he said honestly. Malachi’s eyes widened in surprise. “He made a dangerous mistake, and he ran away from us.” Roman and Logan shifted their feet uncomfortably.

"Into the Forest?” Malachi checked. Patton nodded. “Even with Ne’hiah gone, it’s still dangerous. If you couldn’t find him, I’m sure he would’ve found a different kingdom.”

Roman and Patton shared an anxious glance. “A _peaceful_ kingdom?”

Malachi nodded, understanding their worries. “All the neighboring kingdoms are peaceful. There’s no way he could’ve been captured. They all know better than to enter the Forest of Light when it is in such a dangerous state. Odds are that he wandered into a safe kingdom and has been brought inside. If that is the case, then I’m certain that a message will be sent to all kingdoms.” Patton visibly relaxed, and Logan nodded thoughtfully. That made a lot of sense. Even Roman seemed comforted.

Malachi went on. “You can do whatever it is you need to do. I will find a way to have the message delivered to you,” he promised.

“Of course. Thank you,” Roman thanked him once more. But Patton wasn’t done yet.

“When Virgil tried to use his powers,” he began, “ it caused a massive, damaging explosion. Why?”

Malachi thought for a moment. “The powers of the Shadow Stone are tied with his emotions. He was probably under a lot of stress. This caused the explosion to be unstable. If he learns to take better control of it, he’ll be much more powerful.” Patton shuddered. Virgil was scared, and getting rid of him made matters only worse. “Don’t worry,” Malachi reassured him. “I’m sure he’s forgiven you. He wants you all safe, correct?” Patton nodded. “Then he will forgive you.”

Patton let go of the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Thanks again, Malachi,” Patton dipped his head.

Malachi nodded. “You can use the hut you slept in last night, if you so choose. Have a good night’s rest.” The sides all bowed to him respectfully, and left. Logan felt a flower brush his face as he exited. They walked into the hut once more and settled into their beds, which had been set for them. He looked over to Virgil’s empty bed. Tomorrow they would find him. _Tomorrow…_

 

Malachi escaped the crowd as the sides entered in the camp, running into his own tent. “Why are they there?” a voice asked.

Malachi shuddered, his wings drooping. “They were successful in destroying Ne’hiah.”

The voice from the shadows scoffed. “Obviously. Who gave them that Light Seed?”

Malachi felt chills creep along his spine. His daughter, of course. She must have seen them fighting Ne’hiah and in need of it. He only hoped that she didn’t know about Malachi’s ties with this evil man. “I- I don’t know…” he said, trying to sound as honest as possible. The figure took form as it shifted on the pedestal. He wore a suit with a rose pinned to it.

“You’re lucky I don’t kill you all right now,” he said, glaring at him. “But I suppose I have to thank you for our new recruit.”

“Wh-who?” Malachi asked. “You idiot. Which side didn’t return? It’s the perfect bait for all of them. They’ll come running sooner or later, looking for their missing counterpart. Right into my trap,” he growled, sneering.

Malachi nodded, gulping. “Very smart,” he commented. Suddenly he wished Roman hadn’t given him free will and sentience.

The figure scoffed. “Of course it is- the plan was made by _me_. But that’s not why I’m here, as much as I love showing off my intelligence.”

“Then why?” Malachi asked.

“Tomorrow my warriors will be attacking the Kingdom of Sands. I’d like for you to… invite our _heroes_ on over. Hopefully, no one will give them a Light Seed this time,” he snarled. Malachi nodded. Suddenly, the entrance to the tent was pulled apart. The figure immediately dissipated into the shadows. Malachi spun around in alarm, but hid his terror.

”I cannot thank you enough…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof that can't be good.  
> I wouldn't have added the last bit since it's very OC centered but then I went "Wow how can I make this as suspicious as possible?" then bam!


	6. A Burning Wall (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton, Roman, and Logan embark on their next part of their journey.

Roman woke up to light filtering through the moss. A breeze swept through the room, chilling the air. He heard the vines rustle. Roman pushed himself up, and looked around. He had been the first to wake up. Virgil’s beds still lie empty. Roman couldn’t hide the disappointment and guilt he felt that the side never returned. Roman stood up, and changed into his prince outfit. He put on the belt, and slid the sword into the sheath once more.

The sudden movement woke Patton up. Patton blinked a few times and rose up as well. He greeted Roman cheerfully, and changed into his normal outfit with the cardigan draped around his shoulders.

Logan was the last to wake up. He had already changed into his outfit from last night. “Good morning,” Logan said to the two sides as he yawned. Logan winced as he stretched. The wounds over his body were still too fresh, and the cut on his hand had been thoroughly bandaged. Logan went to the side of his bed to re apply the bandages.

Roman silently admitted that he also ached all over. Roman groggily rubbed his eyes, thinking about Virgil. He had never seen if the other side had been hurt. _What if he had been- and he was bleeding-_  Roman shook his head to push away the dark thoughts. Being anxious was _Virgil’s_ job. Besides, like Malachi told them, he was probably being taken care of.

“I’m going out,” Roman announced to them, needing to clear his thoughts. Logan nodded, fixing up the rest of his cuts and scratches with Patton aiding him. Patton looked back and waved to Roman, before returning his gaze to Logan. Patton rested his hand on Logan’s shoulder, murmuring something to him. Logan smiled in response. Roman smirked. The two of them were cute together. He couldn’t help but think of Virgil as he turned away from them.

Roman brushed aside the vines and blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. To his surprise, Malachi was waiting for him outside the hut. “I need to speak with you guys, if you have the time,” he said.

Roman tilted his head to the side for a moment, before complying. “I’ll tell the others.”

Malachi nodded. “Good. You’ll all need to hear this,” he said with a sense of urgency.

Roman stepped back into the hut. Logan and Patton spun around at the sudden stream of brightness falling onto to them. “We need to talk to Malachi,” he explained. Patton shot a worried glance at Logan, who shrugged.

“What about?” Logan asked, straightening his tie.

“I don’t know. He said he’d tell us when we’re all there,” Roman responded. He saw Patton’s eyes momentarily flicker towards Virgil’s bed. Logan stood up, with Patton following a moment after. They each walked out of the hut, to see Malachi still standing nearby. “Should we go to your hut?” Roman asked.

Malachi shook his head. “Look at the skies, far past the Forest of Light,” Malachi commanded, gesturing to the clouds. Roman looked up and squinted. Dark clouds gathered in the skyline, far into the distance. They seemed to be spiraling towards a single waypoint.

“Where is that?” Roman asked, dreading that it was Ne’hiah once more.

“ _What_ is that?” Patton added worriedly.

“It’s over the Kingdom of Sands, built beside a river. All of the clouds are gathering atop the main city,” Malachi explained.

“What does that mean?” Patton asked.

“Nothing good,” Malachi replied, sighing. Sudden movement distracted all of the sides. An elf jumped out from behind Malachi, bounding towards the group. It was Andromeda. “I know you’ve met my daughter, Andromeda. She can see brief glimpses of the future.” Andromeda looked back at her dad shyly. “You can tell them,” he urged, resting his hands on his knees.

She considered her options for a moment, before spilling. “The corruption is spreading. Someone is bringing it there on purpose.” She squinted for a moment, focusing on something no one else could see. “The Shadow Master’s forces are going to take it over. You have to get there quickly,” she said looked back up at them, warily. Patton smiled encouragingly at her. Andromeda relaxed a little, and ran back to Malachi, who picked her up.

He held onto her as he continued. “It would take too long to get there on your own feet.” His eyes twinkled for a moment as they looked at each other in confusion. “Horses,” he explained. Understanding flashed through Logan’s eyes for a moment. Roman gasped in excitement. Malachi smiled at their reactions. “They’re very well behaved. You shouldn’t find it difficult to ride on them.” Malachi thought for a moment. “You should go now, however. I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for us.” He bowed deeply. “Good luck, travelers.”

The three sides bowed respectfully together. “Thank you for your gifts, and taking care of us,” Roman said.

“We’ll miss you,” Patton added.

“Do stay safe,” Logan bid them farewell. Andromeda jumped down from Malachi to hug Patton. Patton pat her on the head as all the elves thanked them for what they had done, and bid them goodbye. Roman felt pride swell in his heart, followed by a sharp pang. He might miss them. _Just a little_.

He exited the camp, lagging behind Logan and Patton who were chatting away. Roman suddenly felt a hand tug his belt. He turned around, seeing Andromeda prodding him. She looked up at him, her eyes glazed over. “Don’t hurt him,” she said ominously. Roman felt chills creep up his spine, but he wouldn’t let the child see that. She quickly snapped out of her trance, and whispered an excited, “Goodbye!” and “Good luck!” as if nothing had happened.

Roman smiled emptily at her, and waved at her for the last time. Patton and Logan were waiting for him. He ran up to meet them.

“What held you back?” Logan asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Nothing,” he promised. The familiar, prideful glimpse in his eyes returned. “Let’s go ride into the sunset!”

“Actually, we’re going away from the sunset,” Logan corrected.

“Okay, Logic Book,” Roman sneered. Logan rolled his eyes, and Patton giggled at the pun. Roman looked at the entry of the forest where they had been last time. Three horses were hitched up to a fence post. He walked over, and mounted the pure white one. He checked the name tag. _Maximus_ , it read. Roman’s eyes lit up. _Just like in Tangled!_ Logan had mounted the brown horse with speckled white dots named Thistle. It had a glorious mane, and a very healthy tail. Patton got on the horse that was dark gray, with lighter gray tints along his back and ear tips.

Patton immediately became closely acquainted with his horse. They were the perfect team. Maximus, however, was obviously headstrong. He ignored all of Roman’s commands, instead going off on what the other horses were doing. Logan and his horse, Thistle were the first to race into the forest, with Patton following closely behind. Roman snapped the reins, waiting for Maximus to go. Maximus snorted and begrudgingly ran after them.

Together, they all ran through the forest. Roman noticed that the darkness being fought back with varying degrees of success. Wildlife was finally returning, and the bleak and dark outlook was replaced by sunshine. Even with the light returning, the closer they got to the Kingdom of Sands, the darker it became.

 

 

Roman’s horse was the first to break free of the forest. A few vines had draped over Maximus’s head, but the horse had paid no attention to it. Now that they were free, the sight was rather… breathtaking. Roman felt as if he had entered a Studio Ghibli film.

The dark clouds had formed in a spiral shape from the top the tallest tower in the center of the town. Wind battered Roman’s sides. Darkness had spread all around them. Little to no sunlight peeked through. The sides were just barely too late. They saw shadowy figures streaking over the wall into the city. Roman’s grip on Maximus’s reins tightened. He looked over at Patton and Logan, who were staring up at the sky.

“We need to get in there, now!” Roman yelled to them over the deafening wind. Maximus’s hooves stormed over the hard ground. Sand stretched on endlessly to his left, while a river forked at his right. It led into the city. Life grew all along the side of the river.

Patton nodded, with a determined glint in his eyes. Logan looked over at Roman. “All of us need to save the people inside,” he reminded him. “We need to be able to fend off the shadow creatures. Let’s go together!”

Roman nodded. “We need to be careful! Whatever is in there definitely doesn’t play nice,” he yelled over the wind roaring in his ears. Logan squinted and nodded back. He held onto Thistle as they reached the gate. Patton was following them last. He didn’t want to be too hard on his horse.

The gate had already been opened, much to their surprise. They raced through, to see utter chaos unfold before them. Shadow creatures were destroying the city itself. All of the homes, walls, and paths were being engulfed in purple flames. People ran in every direction, trying to get to safety. “We need to help them in this discord,” Logan chided, dismounting quickly. Roman hopped off of his horse to join Logan. “They’re scared. We must guide them out of the city and away from the danger.”

Roman nodded. “Let’s do this!” He said, determinedly. Patton joined them as they ran forward, looking where to start. A shadow creature loomed behind them, and raised a claw to attack. Logan instantly alerted Roman, who spun around and deflected the oncoming blow with his sword. A bit of a tower crumbled beside him and fell down. He could hear the crackling of the flames in the background.

Roman pushed back the monster, and raised his sword, slicing through its form. The shadow monster looked down in shock, before fading. He turned around, and joined Patton and Logan as they ran to a cathedral. The structure was completely falling apart. People were still inside of it. They had to get to safety, and soon.

Logan made an attempy to kick open the doors, but they wouldn’t budge. Roman looked up to see a hole in the roof. “There! Patton, fly through and move whatever is blocking the door.” Patton nodded and jumped into the air, flying through the hole. 

 

Patton looked down through the hole. He could see people cowering in fear beneath the form of another shadow monster, standing over them hungrily. He jumped through, falling to the ground. He picked up a stone which had fallen from the crumbling roof, and chucked it at the monster. It staggered a bit, hissing at him. The people glanced at each other, some of them splitting up to surround the monster in a circle.

They ran around, each grabbing their own rocks, taking after Patton’s example. Another rock was thrown at him, then another, confusing the monster. In its rage, it ran after one woman. The other people quickly retaliated by throwing rocks at it once more. It let out a furious roar in its confusion. Patton took his chance, and ran to the door. A piece of wood had kept it from opening. No wonder the people couldn’t undo it; it was too high up reach.

Patton flew up, and undid the latch. He heaved the piece of wood, and dropped it down. The door was barged open. Logan and Roman fell in. Patton grinned. “Nice of you to _drop_ by!” Roman chuckled a bit before he noticed the shadow creature. He sprinted on over as it was standing over one of the people who were throwing rocks. The others threw more rocks, but it had ignored them.

Roman jumped over a pew and struck his sword in the shadow monster’s back. It flinched, and dissipated. Patton watched, while Logan stood in silence. The person cowering in fear relaxed, realizing he was safe. He thanked Roman and Patton.

He stood up and dusted himself off. “You need to get out of here,” Roman ordered. The others looked at each other doubtfully. “We will guide you safely. I promise,” he added. The people all stood up and gathered beside the entrance. Logan was the first to walk out, leading the way.

“Roman!” Logan yelled as a shadow griffon swooped down out of thin air. Roman was by his side in an instant. The griffon reared back, and prepared to strike. Roman cut through it with his sword. The griffon glitched out for a moment, before becoming whole again. It smacked Roman and scraped his arm. Roman fell down, clutching his arm in pain. It was in the same spot that Ne’hiah had cut him. The wound reopened and started to bleed once more.

One person threw a rock at it again, but it didn’t even notice. Roman raised his sword in defense, not giving up despite his wound, before he heard a loud screeching. Patton had held a torch up and swept it through the shadow, instantly melting its form.

Roman let out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding, and shakily stood up. “Thank you Patton!” Roman said, exasperated. He caught his balance, gripping his injured arm. Patton held out his arms, smiling reassuringly and pulled Roman into a hug. The people stood idly by, letting them have their moment.

“Hey,” he heard a voice speak in front of him. He looked up. He knew that voice. Everyone knew him. It couldn’t be…

“Virgil?” Patton gasped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay cliffhangers! I'm shooting for the next update to be on Tuesday.


	7. A Burning Wall (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sides have to save the people trapped within a burning city.

“Virgil?” Patton gasped. Patton’s heart was beating so quickly, he swore the others could hear. His grip on Roman slackened. The fanciful side didn’t complain, he was just as shocked. Virgil stood before the sides confidentially. The amulet on his necklace glowed a deep, ominous purple. On his face was a dark purple mask, with streaks of ice blue engraved on it. Despite its beautiful look, it was hauntingly intimidating.

“Where’d you get that sweet mask?” Patton asked, but he couldn't hide the tremor of fear in his voice. Logan held his hand up to his diadem in severe distress. He shot a look at Patton, but Patton was too busy marveling at Virgil to notice. Logan’s distress depended.

Virgil’s lip curled. His gaze traveled past them. He held out his hand, summoning a shadow orb within his palm. Unlike last time, it was perfectly stable. They heard a fluttering of wings and turned around to see another shadow griffon preparing to attack. Virgil shot the orb at it. Roman was about to yell at him for doing the same thing that cause this whole mess last time.

But to everyone's surprise, the griffon looked at Virgil in shock before its form exploded. They turned their attention back to Virgil. He still held an orb in his hand, and shot it once more. Roman was confused for a moment, before it hit him. Literally.

The orb hit Roman square in the chest, launching him backwards. Dust exploded everywhere. Patton covered his head as Logan mirrored him. Roman coughed out a few times as the dust cleared away. The people standing by cowered in fear. Patton saw Logan narrow his eyes.

“Kiddo?” Patton asked Virgil in utter bafflement, lowering his arms. Virgil ignored him, narrowing his eyes at Roman. He snapped his fingers, conjuring up pseudo-shadow wings. Patton’s eyes widened at the sight. He shook his head, racing over to Roman’s side with Logan joining him. Logan looked discontented and stressed. His predictability powers weren’t working on Virgil.

“Patton!” Patton glanced down at the form of Roman, who was regaining strength. “Give me your boots!”

“What?” Patton asked,shocked. Virgil was still watching them warily, hovering in the air. He didn’t say anything else. All he did was stare, as if studying them and letting them abide in their time.

“Just do it!” Confused, Patton complied and took them off. He handed them to Roman, who put them on. “I need you and Logan to take care of the people. I’ll fight Vi-Virgil,” Roman managed. His voice dipped on ‘Virgil,’ but he didn’t let it bother him. Patton protested, before Roman hushed him up. “I need to do this. You have to save everyone.” The determined glint in Roman’s eye told Patton that he wouldn’t be able to convince Roman to do this any other way.

He sighed, defeated, and nodded. “Please don’t hurt him,” Patton pleaded. Roman stiffened as he put the shoes on. Realization flashed through his eyes before he continued doing what he was set to do. Patton inched away from him as Roman stood up to face Virgil. Virgil mirrored Roman, smirking. “Well?” he asked menacingly. Roman gripped the hilt of his sword, and carefully rose into the air, testing out the shoes.

Logan grabbed Patton’s hand, pulling him up. He ushered Patton over to the group of people, who were watching in fear. “You will all be okay,” Logan promised them. “We will bring you to safety…” Logan said more reassuring phrases to the group, calming them down, but Patton wasn’t paying attention. _Why had Virgil attacked them_? Patton felt discouragement flow through him. Was he... _was he safe_? Patton shut his eyes tight and shook his head. He wouldn’t be discouraged. He would help these innocent people, no matter what. He had to be strong. _Had to_.

He raced off with Logan in the direction of the gates. Logan led the group, while Patton kept in the back, keeping them on track. They raced through the city, veering through detrimental roads. Patton helped guide one of the frightened women by holding her hand through the dangerous pathways. They finally reached the gate- only to find a gargantuan dragon had beat them to it. Patton felt his blood chill at the thought of fighting this with all the helpless people.

But maybe luck was on his side for _once_ , as the dragons attention was focused on the sky, instead of the people beneath it. Logan ushered them all into a hole that lead into an abandoned building. He hopped down, guiding others inside. Patton took a lit torch from one of the people and placed it upon the wall.

“We have to be careful here,” Logan commanded. “That dragon out there won’t be easily defeated. We’ll need Roman.” He took a deep breath. Patton rested a hand on his shoulder, causing Logan to jump.

“It’s okay,” he muttered. Logan met his eyes, and unspoken connection drifted through the two of them.

“What will we do?” The frightened woman asked. She squeezed the hand of a nearby male, who looked at her in understanding. He rested his arm around her shoulder. Logan thought for a moment.

“This place is well-hidden. You could all stay in here, looking after each other, while we find anyone else in need of rescuing. Then, Roman will come, and we will fight the beast together.” He spoke with such authority that the people all relaxed, their tense shoulders slackening.

Patton nodded. “We’ll return very soon,” he promised them. The group split into two. People who had minor wounds stood in one group, and people who were healthy in the other. The uninjured ones helped the ones who were wounded. Patton glanced at Logan worriedly. “Will they be okay?”

Logan nodded, touching his diadem. “They’re hidden here. No one will find them except us. Besides, they have a weapon,” he pointed out, looking at the torch. Patton relaxed a little.

“Let’s go,” Patton said. Patton adjusted his cardigan, and climbed through the hole, reaching out to Logan to help him up. Logan jumped up, landing beside Patton. Patton dusted himself off before sneaking around the building, to make sure that the dragon didn’t see him. “Logan?”

Logan glanced at Patton. “Yeah?” he asked.

“Why do you think Virgil attacked us?” he asked.

Logan took a deep breath to steady himself. “He was wearing a mask. I don’t know what exactly that has to do with it, but it can’t mean anything good.” He looked at his feet as he turned a corner with Patton dragging him along. “Something doesn’t add up, though,” he muttered half to himself. They stopped in the middle of the road as a big boulder fell down in front of him. They adjusted their path, sneaking along the sides instead. “He… seemed very mad. Whatever he was doing, he was in control. The shadow orbs he made were perfect.”

Patton was silent for a moment as the crossed a four-way path. He was heading in the direction of the Central Tower scraping the sky. “Do you think he meant it?” he asked, looking at Logan meaningfully.

Logan sighed. “I don’t know.” Concern etched his face. Patton held out his hand again. Logan took it, and together, they snuck through streets. Patton suddenly stopped and pushed Logan aside, behind a house. Logan was a little disgruntled, and adjusted his glasses. “What was that-“

“Shhh,” Patton shushed him. A shadow creature, in the form of a hound was sniffing the ground. Its ears perked up at the sudden sound. It crept towards their hiding spot. Patton started to feel panicked, but he forced it down. Now wasn’t the time to be afraid. The hound bared its teeth and snarled, but it suddenly got distracted. Its “fur” stood on end, and it spun around and bolted towards the Central Tower.

Patton dared to peek around the corner, with Logan following his movements. They saw Roman fall into the top of the tower, followed by Virgil diving after him. Virgil landed on top, held out a sword, and struck. Patton’s blood turned to ice. He felt relief wash over him as he saw Roman jump up, blocking the attack. Suddenly, Virgil stopped dead in his tracks. The entire world seemed to pause.

Virgil looked up to the sky. He backed away from Roman, and flew off. Patton looked around in confusion, and saw multiple shadow creatures crawl over the walls and out the gate. Hope filled Patton’s heart. They seemed to be retreating. He heard a deep whooshing sound, and glanced up in brief terror. The dragon had taken off to the sky. Patton breathed out, and turned around to Logan.

Logan was staring skeptically into the sky. “Why did they leave? They were winning,” Logan muttered in confusion.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. We’re all safe!” Patton smiled. He pulled Logan into a sudden hug. Logan froze for a moment, feeling a strange feeling in his chest, before he returned it, holding Patton close to him. They held onto each other for what felt like hours, lifetimes even, but maybe it only lasted a few heartbeats before they pulled away. Logan almost longed for it again, but pushed the irrational feelings away. Patton smiled at him, and stood up. Logan stood up with him. The two locked eyes. Patton looked relieved and happy. Logan felt the same way. He felt himself shuffle closer-

The two jumped apart as they heard a soft patter, and turned to see Roman land and run over to them. Patton instantly ran out to meet him. “Are you okay?!” Logan must admit he felt a pang in his heart as Patton left him. Logan felt confused. He’d have to look at these odd symptoms later. Maybe he was catching something.

“Yeah, actually-“Roman began before Patton cut him off.

“How’s Virgil? Is he okay? You didn’t hurt each other badly?” Patton fretted.

“No-no I’m fine,” Roman promised, obviously rattled, trying to get Patton to calm down. The wounds on his arm had slowed bleeding, but it still needed looking after. Patton felt terror seize him as he froze in place.

“Patton, it’s best that you calm down. You’re starting to freak out and worry unnecessarily. Remember, in for four, hold for seven, out for eight.” Patton followed Logan’s breathing exercises and calmed down. He met Logan’s eyes, light shining in them. Patton suddenly wrapped his arms around Logan’s neck and hugged him. Logan returned the embrace, his heart racing. He wasn’t one for contact, especially when initiated suddenly, but with Patton, something was different. Roman shuffled his feet behind them awkwardly, but Logan looked up to see him smirking. Patton cheeks flushed as he pulled away once more. Logan tipped his glasses on his nose, and recomposed himself. “We need to check on the citizens,” he reminded them.

Patton nodded. Roman smiled. “About time,” he muttered, turning around. He stopped suddenly. “I, uh, have no idea where we’re going…” he turned around to face them again, confusion etched in his face. Patton giggled.

“Just this way kiddo!” He said, leading Roman towards the hideout. They walked together without running into any danger. This time, Logan didn’t feel uneasy as he walked along the pathway. There were stones lying all over the roads, buildings were destroyed, and purple flames still refused to go out. Yet despite all that, he felt oddly safe.

The shadow creatures had really taken a toll on the city. Very few buildings remained intact. There didn’t seem to be a logical reason for the sudden retreat. Unless… _it was a scare tactic_. Logan’s eyes widened. The entire purpose was to just scare them. The kingdom would soon fall. They had to take care of the Shadow Master before he took over _all_ of the land.

Patton sent a sidelong glance at him. “I know that look. You figured something out!”

“Yes. The shadow army attacked here to scare the other kingdoms. They retreated because they had already accomplished their goal.” Patton’s eyes shone in understanding.

“Alright, Saints Row: The Nerd, I guess that makes sense.” Roman said with a smirk. Logan looked at him in confusion. “Saints Row? The Third?” Logan still didn’t get it. “How have you not heard of Saints Row?” Roman sighed, waving an arm to dismiss him.

Patton continued walking onwards. He was clearly deep in thought. “Patton? Is everything alright?” Logan asked.

Patton looked up and smiled. “Of course it is!”

Logan wasn't... the best at handling emotions, especially since Patton is the sole embodiment of feelings, but he knew Patton was certainly lying. “Patton,” he began, “look at me. You don’t have to fake your smile. Roman and I are here for you. We’ll listen,” he vowed.

Tears formed at the corners of Patton’s eyes, alarming Logan. He shakily held out his hand, but Patton pushed it away. “No, it’s fine…” Patton sniffed, wiping his eyes with his sleeves. “I’m just so worried about Virgil…” he said, tearing up once more. Logan was next to Patton in an instant. He held out both of his hands, trying to take hold of the situation. Patton blinked a few times, tears falling to the ground, and took them.

“Patton, Virgil will be okay, I promise. We will save him, like you saved all of those people from the shadow creature in the cathedral. But first, you must save yourself.” Logan broke one hand free, and rubbed away a stray tear on Patton’s cheek. “I promise,” he repeated softly.

Roman walked beside Logan, and embraced Patton. They remained in a tight hold for a minute, with Patton silently crying into Logan’s shoulder. As the hug went on, he relaxed, and eventually pulled away.

“Th-thank you,” he breathed out.

“Anything for you Padre,” Roman smiled warmly. Logan dabbed away a tear that had formed in his own eye. They continued in silence to the hideout, with Roman and Patton holding hands. Oh no, this  _definitely_  didn’t bother Logan. Why would it bother him? That wouldn’t make sense. They were just being there for each other.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the hideout. Roman stared at it in confusion. “One problem- How exactly do we get in?” he asked. Patton giggled, sprinting around the side. Roman took a moment to register what happened, and bolted after him. To Roman, Patton had seemingly vanished. “Uh, Pat? Where are you?” he called out.

Logan walked behind him, smiling fondly. “Down here!” Patton said, trying to sound intimidating. “Booooo!” He couldn’t contain the giggles and burst into laughter. Roman spun around and looked down to the source of the noise. The entrance had been hidden away.

“Very funny,” Roman scoffed. He crawled into the building. Logan looked around, checking the coast, before entering once more. He had the feeling he was being watched, but he pushed it aside. All of the shadows had left. There was nothing left to watch them.

 

 

Virgil sat on top of the Central Tower with one leg dangling off and bobbing up and down rythmatically. He watched as the dorks bantered back and forth, before Patton burst into tears and hugged the others for a solid minute. He narrowed his eyes. Virgil didn’t move from his spot, and watched as they continued along the pathway until they reached the gate.

He suspected that they would leave, but suddenly Patton bolted. Virgil watched with interest as Roman chased after, and failing at finding them. Virgil stood up, stretching out his pseudo-wings and flying over to a house closer to see them. He didn’t want to be found, so he cautiously stayed out of their line of sight. He landed, and perched atop a broken down clock tower. A fire burned brightly next to him. He scuffed it with a flick of his wrist.

Virgil watched as Roman ducked into a secret entrance. Patton must have already entered. That left Logan who glanced around the area a few times, clearly suspicious. He swore Logan’s eyes glazed over him, but if he noticed Virgil, Logan paid no attention to him. He pulled himself down the opening, leaving Virgil alone once more.

Virgil stood up. He knew what he would have to do to them. There was no point in watching over them now, if he would end up being their destruction. He fluttered out his wings for a bit, before taking off into the dark sky. The moon hung high in the air, illuminating the ground below. He stared down at the desolate city. That was his doing. He felt a twinge of sick pride at was he was capable of. And, oh, that wasn’t even the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cough* I'm not sorry


	8. Storm the Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -

Logan, Roman, and Patton were being flooded with the thanks of the people they had saved.

“What happened?” asked one of them. “Is it safe to go now?”

The sides exchanged a glance. Roman cleared his throat. “The city has been utterly destroyed. The shadow creatures have all been vanquished, but the scars are too permanent. You must all find new places to stay… most likely in another kingdom.”

The room filled with the chatter of the people. “Is it able to be repaired?” one of them asked Roman.

Roman thought for a moment. “I’m sure that soon, they could be fixed,” he said, hinting that he would be the one to fix it for them once the villain was defeated once and for all.

The people relaxed a little. “What are you going to do now?” another person asked. He was sitting down in the corner, bangs covering his eyes. He reminded Roman of Virgil. Sneaking a quick glance at the others, he realized they were thinking the same thing.

“We’re going to vanquish the Shadow Master!” Roman exclaimed, determination edged in his voice. The people looked at each other in awe, and applauded the heroes. Roman smiled and bowed deeply. “It will be hard and treacherous- hey, where does he live?” he realized.

The people didn’t respond. “Skull Mountains,” the kid who looked like Virgil spoke up. The people looked at him in surprise. “I was raised there,” he murmured sheepishly, shying away from their gazes.

“What’s your name?” Patton asked softly.

“Timothy,” he replied, looking at them in surprise. He wasn’t usually put on the spot, but Roman could tell he liked the attention. Logan perked up slightly, but brushed aside his train of thought. _Just a coincidence_ …

Patton tilted his head to the side. “Those mountains by where we first appeared?” He whispered to Roman. Roman nodded.

“They call it the Citadel,” Timothy added with more confidence. “It’s not hard to find. I mean, the castle in the middle is covered in clouds.” Patton smiled in thanks. Logan crossed his arms, thinking about how to approach the Citadel.

Roman took a deep breath. “Do you need us to guide you out of here?” he asked, addressing the whole crowd.

The people simultaneously shook their heads. “We can protect each other,” one of the females vowed, earning herself several looks of approval.

Roman smiled. “Good look on your valorous journey to a new home!” The group thanked him, and wished them all good luck as well. Roman was the first to climb out of the hideaway. He heaved himself onto the road, and stood up. He looked at the sky. A bright moon hung over them. Stars twinkled in the sky, forming a beautiful band of silver dots.

Patton and Logan followed him moments after. Patton stumbled on the way up, and Logan offered him a hand. Patton glanced at him, before taking it and being pulled up. They faced each other for a second, before looking away. “Skull Mountains, right?” Patton asked.

Roman nodded. “Where exactly are they?”

“We've ventured far away from them. However, if we turn left, and go straight, we should run into the Citadel, if I’m correct,” Logan continued, adjusting his glasses, “there will be a path we can take. The kingdoms would have trade routes connecting them.” Patton nodded thoughtfully. Roman had to hand it to him. It did make sense.

“Okay,” Roman concluded. “We’ll look for the path in the direction of Skull Mountains, and race along it.”

“Don’t we need to feed the horses?” Patton asked, deflating a little.

“Patton, they’re just constructs. They’re not-“he paused upon seeing the dejected look on Patton’s face. He sighed irritably. “They’ll be fine,” he grumbled.

Patton narrowed his eyes and shrugged. “If you say so,” he backed down.

They exited the gate, and mounted their horses. Thistle neighed happily, while Maximus held his head high proudly. It irritated Roman how headstrong he was. With a twinge of annoyance, he realized he acted the same way. Pushing it down, he pointed Maximus in the direction they needed to go to. Maximus paused for a moment, before huffing and taking off. Patton and Logan followed closely behind, on their horses. “See, _they’re_ so well behaved,” Roman grumbled to Maximus.

Maximus looked back at Roman in annoyance, before coming to an abrupt stop. It jolted Roman, but not enough to throw him off. Patton and Logan passed him, with Patton looking back at him in concern. Roman rolled his eyes as Maximus took off once more.

-o-0-o-

They came across the Skull Mountain range. It climbed into the sky, scraping the clouds. The snow on the tips of the mountains was beautiful. It looked like someone’s watercolor painting, especially in the young night. Roman still had to admit the name was a little ominous, but it seemed straight out of some fantasy story.

They all slowed down, earning Roman a dejected glance from Maximus. “How are we going to enter?” Patton asked. Roman looked up, seeing a castle rise in the center of the Citadel. He couldn’t see any guards on duty on the walls.

“We could fight our way through!” Roman suggested.

“No,” Logan said, shooting him down. “That’d be too dangerous. We have to be stealthy.”

“Luckily, stealth is my middle name!” Patton added.

“You get caught stealing a second cookie all of the time,” Roman retorted. Patton shot him a fake offended look. Roman chuckled at Patton’s reaction. Logan dismounted his own horse, patting her on the muzzle. She dipped her head and lay down. Taking the hint, Patton got off of his as well. The horse tried to follow him for a moment, before Patton stopped her. It sent a sad look at him before lying down beside Thistle. Roman looked anxiously down at Maximus.

It raised its head, and sat down. Roman slumped over and nearly fell off. He put one foot down on the ground, and regained his balance. Maximus avoided his gaze by raising his head haughtily in the air while joining the other two horses. _Why is_ my _horse the most difficult_? Roman thought, annoyed.

“Patton,” Logan addressed, “you could fly over and open the gate. You have to be very careful to not be seen. From there, we need to sneak through the city’s roads and alleyways to the central castle.”

“A solid plan,” Roman commented, nodding thoughtfully.

Worry flashed through Patton’s eyes for a moment. “How will I not be seen?” he asked.

Logan thought for a moment. “Stick to the walls, and in the shadows. They may be made _of_ shadow, but it’s likely they can’t see well in them. Or see well in general. Remember that hound that couldn’t see us?” Logan pointed out.

Understanding swept through Patton’s gaze. “How will we get in? Will we just wait outside?” Roman asked.

“Another good point.” Logan looked around to see a path of rich undergrowth and trees leading up to the entrance. “We could stay behind them, dodging the enemy’s line of sight.”

“Oh! So like in Fortnite,” Roman smiled.

“Fortnite?” Logan asked. “I hardly see how this is related to that game.”

Roman gasped. “ _You_ know what _Fortnite_ is?! Oh my gosh, we  _have_  to play together sometime!” He said excitedly.

Logan rolled his eyes and scoffed. “I highly doubt I’ll do that with you,” he growled, looking away.

“Now boys, let’s play nice,” Patton said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Indeed, we have a mission at hand.” Patton couldn’t hide the anxiety in his eyes. “Ready?” Logan asked. He put a hand reassuringly on Patton’s shoulder, and softened his gaze. Patton looked up at him. His eyes glimmered in the twilight.

“Yuck, get a bush,” Roman scoffed, sticking his tongue out. Patton and Logan both immediately flushed and Logan pulled his hand away.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road! Or in the air,” Patton added. They each crouched down, sneaking through the undergrowth. They jumped from bush to bush. Roman was taking it very seriously, but his overall demeanor was a little cocky. Patton took it surprisingly well. He was very focused on the task at hand. He must be very determined to save Virgil. Logan’s movements were swift and easy. _Maybe this_ wouldn’t _be so hard_ , Roman thought.

They stopped dead in their tracks as they saw movement atop the walls. Roman gritted his teeth as he noticed shadowy figures point in their direction. They weren’t making any movements. Odds were that the shadows weren’t entirely certain there were people there at all. Roman flattened his back to the tree beside him, only daring to peak slightly around the corner.

He gripped the bark as he looked back to see the gate open, letting three guards lose. Roman felt his insides twist, before he felt a flutter of hope. They were stupid enough to leave that gate opened! Logan was sitting behind a bush, with Patton beside him. They were holding each others hands for comfort. Logan glanced sideways at Roman, realizing the same thing Roman did. He pointed at the gate, and made a stop symbol.

Roman scrunched his face in confusion and shrugged. Logan sighed and face palmed, before taking a breath. “Wait for them to get here!” he whispered loudly. 

"Ohhhh," Roman said aloud. Logan rolled his eyes and put a finger to his mouth telling him to shush. Patton watched the entire exchange with amusement glimmering in his eyes. Roman crouched down once more, and heard voices get closer. They were oddly distorted, but he was still able to barely make them out.

“There, beside the trees,” one of them said.

“Those are trees?” the other asked. Logan opened his mouth in disbelief. Even Roman was shocked at how unintelligent these creatures were.

“Sure! The things with big pointy stalks. They’re short,” the first replied.

“No, you idiots, the tree is that thing right there,” said a third, pointing at the tree Roman was hiding behind. He caught his breath, waiting for a response.

“Are you sure?” the second questioned him, tilting his head.

“Ye- it’s beside the point!” said the third, his patience thinning. “Let’s go!” To Roman’s astonishment, they missed the sides entirely and walked towards where they had come from. Patton mouthed ‘are you for real?’ as they left. Logan slowly rose up, and pointed at the gate urgently. No guards were left defending it. Patton jumped up, and Roman walked around the tree, and began sprinting towards the wall.

Patton and Logan were right behind him. Roman was used to the running, and thought they would have a hard time, but the adrenaline was keeping them in a fast pace. They reached the gate just as they heard a loud “hey!” Roman spun around, to see the three shadows pointing at him. The tallest, smartest one instantly started to chase them.

“Patton! Fly over and prepare to shut the gate!” Logan commanded. Roman ushered on over Logan and sprinted over to the bridge with Patton flying into the air. Patton outraced them and stood on top of the wall, ready to pull the lever.

“They’re getting in!” One of the shadows screeched. Roman looked back to see two of them gaining speed. However, the third one had stayed back raised his arms at him. Roman kept his gaze locked on him as he ran forward onto the bridge that creaked beneath him. The guard smiled as his shadow started to get larger and stretch towards Logan and Roman. It reminded Roman of the Vashta Nerada from Doctor Who.

Roman yelped and almost tripped into the entrance. Patton immediately pulled back the lever, shutting the gate. The third guard’s shadow still stretched towards them, his gaze growing increasingly angrier. Roman shared a worried glance with Logan before the two other guards reached the now shut gate and began pounding on it. “Aw, come on!” One of them growled, and kicked a rock.

The other shook his head distastefully. They third one’s shadow reached the gate and crept in underneath. To their shock, it’s form outside of the city vanished and reformed with its armor on in front of them. Logan yelled at Roman to look out, who instantly spun around and unsheathed his sword just in time to deflect the hit. The shadow guard smiled evilly. “Neat trick,” he snarled before lifting a foot and kicking Roman in the stomach.

He raised his weapon, but Logan was quicker and kicked his arm. The shadow still retained a tight hold on his sword as his agitation increased. Roman stumbled up, and sliced the shadow, only hitting armor. The shadow recoiled, and turned around to face Roman, hissing. “Are you winning?” one of the shadows from the other side asked.

“I will be!” it hissed back, unleashing a flurry of attacks at Roman. Logan was off to the side, telling where to raise his sword to deflect the hits, but the shadow wasn’t losing any stamina. Grinning, he raised his sword for a final blow that Roman didn’t raise his own sword to block. Instead, he slid underneath the shadow and sliced the shadow’s exposed neck as it recoiled from its attack. It let out a choking sound, and raised its hand to its throat in reflex. In fury, it swung around. Shadows dripped from the open wound. Out of nowhere, a boulder fell from the sky.

The shadow looked up, fear in his gaze, as he whispered a final, “uh oh,” and was instantly crushed. Patton was hovering over them, brushing his hands together to clear them of the dust and clenched them a few times. “That was pretty _concrete_!” Logan shook his head, exhaling.

“Thank you, Patton!” Roman smiled up at him gratefully. Relief flooded Logan’s gaze as he looked appreciatively at Patton. Patton drifted to the ground, landing softly.

“No problem! The plan was pretty _rock solid_ anyway!”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Logan said.

“What? You’re not being very _gneiss_ ,” he shrugged, mischief glinting in his eyes.

Logan sighed in exasperation.

“That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day!” one of the shadow creatures perked up from behind the gate, alarming the sides.

Patton instantly lit up. “Thank you, thank you very muc -oof!” he was cut off by Logan grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the door.

“We have to get back to the task,” Logan gently scolded him.

“Wow, jeez, no need to be so _stone_ -hearted, Lo,” Patton whispered, immediately infuriating the other side. Roman started laughing at Logan’s reaction.

Logan rolled his eyes. “Alright, we have to be quiet and stay within the shadows. It’s odd that no more shadows were guarding here, unless they were preparing an attack on another kingdom. If so, we have all the more urgency to defeat the Shadow Master.”

“I agree,” Roman replied. “We need to be quick then. Let’s go,” he ordered, pointing at the walls that were casting shadows along the ground. Roman led the way around the wall. They reached a dead end, and were forced to retrace their steps. Together, the slid around corners and dodged guards. They had reached another alleyway and began to back out before a shadow guard had perked up.

“Hey, did you hear that?” he asked another guard. Roman caught his breath and stood with his back flat against the wall. Patton and Logan were hiding behind a dumpster. The other guard nodded. “Odd, isn’t it?” They walked deeper into the alley, and one faced the dumpster, but Roman quickly retaliated by raising his sword and stabbing the shadow creature in the chest. “Hey-!” he was cut off by dissipating.

The other guard instantly turned around, and his eyes widened at the sight of Roman standing over where his friend just was. He yelped and tensed up. “He’s gonna run,” Logan warned. Roman immediately leapt forward and swung at his neck. The guard looked surprised for a second before fading into nothingness. Patton looked guiltily at where the shadow just was. Roman nodded in the direction they needed to go to.

Logan reached out to Patton who shook his head, and stood up. They walked on, hiding. They had almost been caught once more, but Roman successfully saved them by throwing a rock to divert the shadow. They had walked around the corner of another building, most likely a library, before they were greeted by the grand entrance of the castle. It was made of dark marble stonework. The view was glorious, but two large guards stood at the entrance.

They were wearing heavy armor. Logan thought for a moment, before pulling the two away. “Patton, can you drop a boulder on them again?” Patton opened his mouth before Logan cut him off, placing his hand on his forehead. “No, not...not puns.”

“Double negative! I bet that I could-“ He began with his eyes shining.

“ _Anyway_ , Patton will drop a rock, and while they’re distracted, we’ll take them out,” he cut Patton off.

“You mean I’ll take them out?” Roman commented dryly. “We work together, therefore we’re both taking them out,” Logan retorted. He turned around to face Patton once more. “Are you-“ but stopped short upon seeing no Patton in the Patton spot. He looked up to see Patton preparing to drop a stone on one of their guards, with his tongue sticking out.

“Patton!” Logan and Roman simultaneously whisper yelled. One of the guards sneezed, causing the other to look over at him. He caught movement and glanced up to see Patton preparing to drop the rock on the guard. Roman looked around. _Where the heck did he even get the rock from_? He wondered, but shook his head. _Patton physics, probably_ , he responded to himself. The guard instantly pointed and yelled at the other to look out.

He got away just in time to avoid being crushed. The rock instead hit him on the foot, crushing the armor, causing him to jump up in down clutching his foot in pain. Patton’s arms drooped in disappointment and made a duck face. He clearly wasn’t taking this seriously enough. The other guard aimed his sword to throw at Patton’s heart, but Roman jumped up from his hiding spot and ran behind him just in time. He kicked the towering guard with all his might, but all the guard did was momentarily stumble.

Both guards swung around to face Roman. Roman instantly felt regretful and _noped_ out of there. The guards were hot in pursuit, chasing him in circles. Patton landed and began to lift up the rock again as Roman jumped on top of a marble wall, and caught his balance. He held out his sword, and prepared to strike. Patton flew up, struggling to keep the rock in his arms and dropped it on the guards again. Unfortunately, all he did was hit the same guard’s other foot. “Aw, come _onnn_!” it screeched, clutching his foot in pain.

The other guard rolled his eyes and got ready to strike Roman. He tried to bash him off of the wall, but Roman ducked and delved his sword into the chest piece. It broke through, stabbing the guard in the chest. A purple liquid oozed out, and Roman made a disgusted face. The guard jumped back, the sword still stuck in him. He slowly looked up at Roman. “You want this back… or….?” He asked. He fell over and turned slightly transparent. The sword phased out of him and fell onto the ground beside him.

The guard struggled up, and Roman jumped down, picking the fallen sword back up. The guard stumbled before preparing a death blow at Roman. Logan yelled at Roman, who jumped away. The guard hit Roman in the leg, knocking him down. The guard attacked again, but Roman rolled away and used his advantage as the guard recoiled. Roman sent a flurry of hits at the guard, who blocked all of them all with his gauntlet.

The other guard was still on the ground. The guard Roman was fighting shouted, “C’mon you lump! Do something!” The other guard nodded, purple tears in his eyes, and stumbled towards the fading one. Roman raised his sword before a flash of dark purple blinded them. One giant guard stood in place of where the other two just were. It had demon wings, a pointy tail, and four arms. He raised an arm and dropped a club where Roman was. Roman just barely jumped out of the way as Logan alerted him.

Patton shouted down at the guard fusion, who looked up to see Patton holding a rock and dropped it on their nose. He immediately raised two arms to rub his nose. Patton landed on his face, and kicked the eye. A third arm prepared a punch Patton, who jumped out of the way in time, causing the guard to knock himself out. It dropped its weapons and landed on the ground. The purple light took over once more, and two guards were left out cold on the ground.

Roman raised his sword, but Logan pushed it away, shaking his head. “Leave them. They’ll be gone by the time we’re done, anyway,” he pointed out.

Patton landed beside them with a “ta-da!”

“That was amazing!” Roman yelled. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Patton shuffled his feet a bit. “Yeah, well, I sure can make it _Patton_!” he waited for their reactions. “Patton? Happen?” he shrugged, smiling while the others groaned.

“I must admit, that was quite a successful battle plan. Even though you started without us telling you to,” Logan added, eyeing him disapprovingly.

“Yeah, that wasn’t the smartest idea,” Roman said sheepishly, rubbing his arm.

“It worked, didn’t it?” Patton pointed out, looking at them innocently.

“That doesn’t mean it was a _good_ idea,” Logan responded.

“Didn’t say it _was_ ,” Patton said, booping Logan on the nose, leaving him flustered.

Roman cleared his throat. “We have to do something,” he reminded them, walking up to the doors. “It’s some massive luck that no one saw us. We can’t let them now.”

Logan nodded. “Right. We need to go.” He paused and looked at the door. “Let’s defeat the Shadow Master.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who doesn't like cliffhangers?? Also, forever bonus points if you find out the significance of the name Timothy.


	9. Fight or Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scream at me.  
> Warnings- Major Character Death; Violence and Fighting

Roman ushered on over Patton and Logan. They stood before the massive castle doors, with the knights they had knocked out sitting on the sides. The large doors were beautifully ornate, with intricate patterns climbing up the sides like vines. The doorknob was formed in shape of a head of a lion. It would be a lot more amazing if they weren’t about to engage in a dangerous battle.

Roman’s nerves were on end. “This is our only chance. We have to be quick, and careful. The Shadow Master is powerful, but we’ll have the element of surprise. They won’t be expecting us, and that’s our most valuable part of the plan.”

“No heroics, Princey,” Logan said dryly. “We’re in this together, and we have to rescue Virgil. We can’t lose anyone to this.”

Roman and Patton nodded together. Patton took a small step forward, before pausing and turning back around to face the sides. “Good luck everyone. You’re my famILY! Please be careful,” he said. He stretched out his arms in a hug and the other two embraced him. The hug was warm, filled with love and positivity.

“Patton, it’s not like we’re going away for forever!” Roman pointed out, still graciously accepting the hug.

“But it’s dangerous. If anything were to go wrong…” Patton wavered. He looked worriedly at them as they broke away.

“It won’t,” Logan promised, “as long as we follow our plan, then this should go by without any difficulties.”

“Well, good luck you two,” Patton smiled at them. Roman smiled back.

“You too, Pat!” He squeezed Patton’s hand before letting go. “Are we ready?” The other two nodded. “Battle stances,” he ordered, “and enter in three… two… one…”

Together, the group barged into the massive hall and raced toward the throne without a second thought. The Shadow Master looked pleasantly surprised. “Oh good, some excitement.” He jumped up from his throne and got into a battle stance, but Roman was quicker. He quickly drew his sword and parried him. The Shadow Master deflected almost every hit with his armor. The Shadow Master caught the sides of Roman's blade between his hands and smirked. Roman’s eyes widened as he grabbed it and threw it all the way to the entrance. Roman jumped back before the Shadow Master could strike, and raced towards his sword, never breaking his eye contact with the dangerous warlord.

Meanwhile, Patton and Logan were busy fighting off five knights side by side. The pair worked together in perfect harmony, deflecting some hits, and delivering others. Patton quickly flew up, and knocked one knight over. The knight’s armor was too heavy for him to get back up, leaving him writhing on the ground. Patton smiled at his small victory. Logan easily predicted the other knights’ movements, effortlessly blocking and attacking with the sword he picked up from the fallen knight. He warned Patton to look out for damaging blows.

The Shadow Master looked back at his failing knights. His gaze grew furious as he realized his fleet was losing against two easy opponents. Raising up his shadow staff, he summoned dark, inky tendrils. They slowly drew towards Patton and Logan. Roman noticed it, and raced towards the Shadow Master to stop him. He knocked the staff out of his hands. The Shadow Master whirled towards Roman, and took out his own sword. It was polished black, and the hilt was made of bone and ruby. It was rather beautiful. “Mesmerizing, isn’t it?” he asked before lunging at Roman.

Together, Logan and Patton were able to successfully defeat the first wave. But Patton turned around to see two Paladins run in. Logan’s attention wasn’t focused on them though. He was looking for Virgil. His ability had a block in it, like he couldn't _see_. Logan guessed it had to do with Virgil.

 “Look out!” Patton yelled. Logan ducked out of reflex, but it was too late. The Paladin hit him with a club and severely knocked the wind out of him. Logan couldn’t move from the ground. The Paladin took his chance and prepared to strike. Patton quickly retaliated and jumped in the way of the Paladin. The other Paladin grabbed Logan and lifted him up. He had trapped him in his tight grasp, leaving Logan squirming, but to no avail.

Patton looked back, caught off guard as the other Paladin lifted him up and trapped him as well. The dynamic duo had been captured.

They looked at Roman to see him fighting the Shadow Master who was slowly backing away. He jumped backwards, and picked up his staff. He quickly summoned the tentacles once more and trapped Roman. They crawled up his arm and knocked his sword out of his grasp. Everyone had been trapped.

“Well, well, well, isn’t this a surprise,” the Shadow Master smirked. “Finally, I caught these _ridiculous_ sides. Took long enough, huh? Though I must admit, Roman, you fought well with the others. Too bad it was short lived,” he sneered, gesturing towards Patton and Logan. Roman stopped squirming for a second, and his eyes widened. It finally clicked. Only one person acted like that…

“D-Dragon Witch? How’d you get chosen as the villain?!” Roman exclaimed. The Shadow Master’s twisted smile grew as he took off his mask. His eyes glowed a strong amber as his scaly tail swished behind him.

“Easy. You needed a villain, so you got one,” he explained. “You didn’t think I just got summoned out of _thin air_ , did you? No, you never specified your room you needed a _new_ villain.” the dragon witch smirked. Roman felt like his blood had turned to ice. If he had known the Dragon Witch were the villain, he would never have taken the other sides. The dragon witch was too smart for them to fight. It was unfair for all of them. _Especially Virgil..._

He looked back at the Paladins, and commanded them to drop Logan and Patton. The two both immediately ran towards the dragon witch. “Now, now, not so fast,” he said, winking as he flicked his staff. The tendrils trapped them as well. “This is just too easy.”

“Where’s Virgil?” Logan growled, his eyes darkening. The inky tendrils tore off his diadem, and popped off Patton’s boots, leaving them completely powerless.

“Right here,” a voice responded, materializing out of the shadows and walking up beside the dragon witch. The purple mask the covered his face looked more intimidating than ever.

“Virgil…” Patton whispered, choked up. He was about to say more, but was cut off by one of the dark tendrils covering his mouth. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes as he struggled.

“Virgil here is going to...hmmm... entertain us. Aren’t you?” the dragon witch asked. Virgil didn’t break eye contact with Patton as he nodded. The dragon witch smiled, his amber eyes glinting. “There’s a battle that needs to be finished.”

Roman’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t…” Of course. _The battle at the burning city_... Patton realized.

“I would. Just you and Virgil. No knights, no Patton, no me. For now,” the dragon witch hinted menacingly. Logan rolled his eyes at his lack of mention. The shadows that had trapped Roman gave way and let him go. Roman fell to the floor on his knees. “Here’s your sword,” the dragon witch threw Roman’s sword to him. Virgil took the dragon witch’s own sword and prepared to fight him.

“You don’t have to do this, Virgil… I-I’m sorry,” Roman pleaded. For Roman to show a weakness, especially in front of the dragon witch, was monumental. Patton thought he saw Virgil’s eyes flash for a second. It looked like regret.

“Yes, I _do_ ,” Virgil snarled as he leapt towards Roman. Roman was ready in an instant. He blocked Virgil’s attacks, and dodged out of the way as Virgil aimed for his throat. Virgil smirked. He was looking forward to the battle.

Roman got on the offensive, and struck out towards Virgil. He hit Virgil’s arm. Roman immediately felt guilty as Virgil winced, before he deflected another oncoming hit from Roman. The cut on his shoulder started to bleed. While Roman attacked him once more, Virgil blocked it, and kicked Roman’s hand. Roman dropped his sword, and ducked an oncoming flurry of hits aimed at where his chest was the moment before. He picked up his sword and blocked a particularly fatal blow. The fight was incredibly dangerous. Virgil clearly meant business.

The dragon witch watched from his chair, his twisted smile never faltering. Whatever game he was playing, it was too deadly to partake in. _Who was next_? His smile grew as he saw Virgil’s pseudo wings form and spread out behind him. He flapped them few times and rose into the air. Roman narrowed his eyes as Virgil raised his hand, and twisted it. Two walls of shadows formed around Roman and began to crush him. He let out an anguished cry as the walls tightened. Virgil squinted his eyes, trying to crush him more.

Roman lifted an arm with an enormous amount of effort, pushing the wall back. Virgil lifted both hands and made a crushing motion, but Roman had enough of a grip and put his feet against the wall, pushing as hard as he could. The walls faltered before giving way completely and fading. Roman fell to the ground, taking a moment to breath and steady himself.

Shocked, Virgil growled and cast a dark purple fire. Roman leapt up within a matter of seconds out of the way. Panting, he ran towards Virgil and lifted his sword, ready to impale him. Virgil leapt up and flipped over Roman. He landed behind him, and thrust his sword at Roman’s back. A last second reflex saved Roman’s life as he rolled out of the way with just milliseconds to spare. Unfortunately, the blade nicked his forearm, reopening the cuts from Ne’hiah and the griffon.

Roman spun around, ducking once more to dodge another dangerous blow that left Virgil reeling. As Virgil was trying to regain his balance, Roman took his chance and sliced his sword clean through Virgil’s right wing. Virgil screamed as the injured wing faded, along with its opposite. Gripping his shoulder with his free hand, he turned to face Roman. Virgil stomped his foot on the ground, and instantly vanished in a cloud of shadows.

Roman paused for a moment, on edge. He looked around suspiciously before hearing a sudden whooshing noise and spun around. Virgil was about to attack him, but Roman jumped back. The sword sliced him in the stomach, leaving a deep, clean cut in Roman’s skin. He clutched his injured belly and delivered a blow that Virgil immediately blocked. While Virgil was distracted, Roman gripped Virgil's arm and kicked his sword hand.

Virgil yelped and let go of his sword. Immediately Virgil formed ribbons of shadows that crawled up Roman’s hand. Roman yanked his hand back, causing the tendrils to dissipate. Virgil held onto his injured hand, and made a break for his sword. Roman blocked Virgil’s path to it, taking in deep breaths. Virgil didn’t seem to calm down, and the fury in his eyes didn't falter for a moment. He held out his hand behind him, and the shadows collected in his outstretched hand to form a dagger.

Roman tried to talk to Virgil once more. “Please, I don’t want to hurt you,” he begged. Virgil shook his head to clear it and lunged at Roman, hitting him in the arm. Roman clutched it for a second before Virgil went for his other arm, and he blocked it with his sword. “I know you’re still there,” he whispered. It shattered Roman’s heart to harm Virgil in any case. And to see him hurting on the inside as well as the out… _well_ , Roman wasn’t having a good time.

Virgil’s gaze hardened as he formed the tendrils once more, crawling up Roman’s leg, momentarily trapping him. Roman ripped his leg free and jumped away, but the shadows still crawled up him. Virgil’s face screwed with the effort of continuing the shadows’ existence without being attached to the source. They crept onto Roman’s sword arm, with Roman desperately trying to claw them away. They grabbed Roman’s sword, throwing it away.

“Virgil… I’m sorry!” Roman said frantically as Virgil walked closer. Virgil formed more shadow tendrils and trapped Roman, narrowing his eyes. Without his sword, his courage had vanished. All Roman felt… was _fear_. And _betrayal_. He stopped in front of Roman as he prepared the finishing blow. “I-I,” Roman whimpered as Virgil glared at him. The determined light in his eyes was replaced by terror and sadness. Memories flashed through Roman’s mind in the blink of an eye. _Their witty banter, the nicknames, and the videos they made_ … Roman felt guiltier than ever for always casting Virgil as the villain. _That’s not who he was_. Roman knew that now. Roman shivered as he remembered all the close moments they shared too.

Virgil’s purple eyes glowed with fury and hatred. He could sense Patton and Logan on the side, watching in terror. The dragon witch sat on the edge of his throne, obviously deeply interested in what was happening. Virgil was right in front of him now, holding him close. The shadows clenching his body loosened, falling away. Virgil slowly raised his arm, holding the shadow dagger tight. Roman gathered the courage to say it. It was now or never. “Virgil… I-I’m… I lo-” There was no mistaking it- as he said it, Virgil was hesitating, but it wasn’t enough. Patton shut his eyes tight in horror, and Logan’s eyes widened in terror. Roman felt time stop for a moment as Virgil plunged the dagger right into his heart, cutting him off. Then there was nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO NOT REGRET THIS WHATSOEVER GUYS. SCREAM AT ME.


	10. Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you're confused, good.

Patton heard a distant screaming. He attempted to swivel his head around to locate the source, before realizing it was his own voice. The shadows tightened their grip around his mouth. Patton made a choking sound as he felt them construct tighter all around his body.

Patton squinted his eyes as he tried hard to focus on the scene before him. He saw Virgil holding Roman as he pulled his arm gripping the dagger back. Virgil leaned into Romans ear as he held him close. He whispered something Patton couldn’t make out. Patton could barely see them in his tears. Everything was a blur. Both his vision and hearing danced in and out. He felt dizzy.

Patton barely heard Virgil scoff. “...but that’s unfortunate. Goodbye, Princey,” he hissed. Patton watched as Virgil dropped, no, _threw_ Roman to the ground. Roman curled up, facing away from them as his breathing slowed immensely.

The dragon witch jumped up from his massive throne enthusiastically, and walked down the few steps towards Virgil. “Very good,” he congratulated as Virgil stared at Roman in contempt. There was no longer a rise and fall of his chest. _He wasn’t breathing_ … He _had_ to be alive! _He had to_! But the blood that had pooled on the floor from the various wounds told another tale.

“Why- why would you do this?” Logan managed to choke out. Tears had streaked down his own face, his eyes red and puffy. Patton supposed he didn’t look any better. The shadows holding them on the spot had tightened once more, causing them to struggle in pain.

The dragon witch smiled maliciously, his amber eyes glinting and his scales shining in the torchlight. “Roman is finally, _finally_ gone. It took so long, but with him no longer here-“ he paused, smiling. “Why, I cant tell you. I don’t want to spoil the surprise! You’ll see for yourself when I’m standing where Roman used to be.”

Patton tore his gaze away from the dragon witch and locked eyes with Virgil, who was standing still, staring at them almost nonchalantly. He gave a brief nod to the dragon witch who let loose the tendrils covering his mouth, allowing the moral side to speak. “Why would you listen to him?” Patton asked in disbelief and grief. “You heard Roman. He said he was sorry, he was about to confess he- _something_ , and yet you _killed_ him!” Patton yelled, sobbing.

Virgil visibly winced, but quickly recovered. How could Virgil... _one of my kiddos_... no, _no,_ Virgil would _never do something like this_! Roman wasn’t gone. He couldn’t be. You can’t just lose creativity! ... _can you_? _Oh god_...

“Patton…” Logan whispered softly, attempting to comfort him. Logan turned his head towards Patton despite the shadows’ attempts to choke him into silence.

“NO! You saw it! He’s dead now!” Patton screeched hysterically at him, refusing to meet Logan’s eyes. Patton’s tears obscured his fading vision.

“Patton!” Logan yelled back, catching his attention. He took a deep breath. “We have to stay strong. We have to finish what Roman started. Don’t let him di- go for nothing.” Logan averted his gaze from Patton and looked at the ground.

-o-0-o-

_Romans eyes fluttered open. Pain exploded through his chest, his head throbbing so frequently, he assumed it would explode. His entire body ached all over, and his arms and chest felt sticky with blood._

_He heard distant screaming and arguing. He couldn’t move his muscles. Something was wrong... wasn’t he supposed to do something? Where was he? Was he even alive?_

_His eyes shut._

-o-0-o-

“But what about Virgil?” Patton asked despairingly. Any traces of hope and joy on the moral side's face had completely vanished. No laugh lines marked his features, no happiness in his eyes. All that was left was this sad shell.

Logan opened his mouth to respond, but the dragon witch beat him to it. “What an utterly adorable conversation! I hate to break it, but there’s business that has to be attended to,” the dragon witch growled as he leaned against his shadow staff dramatically, his tail flicking.

“What business?” Patton asked, his voice laced with venom. He glared daggers at the dragon witch, who remained completely unswayed by Patton’s gaze.

“Well, Thomas’s morality seems to hold him back from gaining power. Where’s the fun in that? So shouldn’t we take care of that issue?” the dragon witch grinned, his monstrous features intimidating Patton. Patton struggled in the shadow’s tightening grip once more, before stopping at the dragon witch’s statement.

Patton’s gasped as he realized what the dragon witch meant. “I’m his emotions… all of them. You still need me,” he pointed out shakily.

“We don’t need emotions. They sure do get in the way of things. Wouldn’t you agree, _Logic_?” the dragon witch growled, glancing at Logan as though he expected him to back the dragon witch up. Patton looked at Logan pleadingly.

“No. We need Patton. Emotions are important to us,” Logan paused. He looked at Patton, a deep meaning in his eyes. “I might not… _understand_ them as well as others, but I know enough to say that you are wrong. Patton holds us together. He makes us… us. He makes us a whole.” Patton smiled weakly at Logan standing up for him. Logan smiled back, with a faint flush of his cheeks.

The dragon witch looked Logan up and down in annoyance and disgust. “Wow, that was so cheesy... maybe we should get rid of Logic?” he wondered aloud.

“Well? A-Aren’t we supposed to be doing something?” Virgil piped up for once, a sense of urgency in his voice. Patton gawked at him in shock and betrayal. Virgil didn’t return Patton’s gaze, deliberately avoiding it.

“Ah, yes, there is! Thank you so much for the reminder!” the dragon witch beamed. It didn’t even look remotely right when the dragon witch was happy. Something twisted showed in his eyes. His features weren’t... _normal_. His scaly tail swished from side to side.

-o-0-o-

_Fight, fight, fight, keep fighting, don’t fall under its spell. You’re still alive. You can make it._

_Remember, remember, do what you have to do... He remembered. Something about those voices was familiar. He remembered. Something about their panic was relatable. He remembered. He had something to do._

_So he twitched his arm. It moved._

-o-0-o-

The dragon witch stepped forward towards Patton and Logan, who both eyed him in cold contempt. “Eeny, Meeny, Minie, Moe…” he said in a sing-song voice, pointing at each of them. His choice fell on Patton as his gaze darkened. He flicked his wrist, undoing the shadowy tendrils. Patton fell down onto his knees. Tears stained Patton’s hopeless face. He didn’t make any attempt to run away or fight back. _There just wasn’t any reason_... “Virgil, I sincerely hope that you don’t mind, but this one is mine,” the dragon witch said. Virgil nodded. Worry and anticipation flashed through Virgil's eyes as the dragon witch turned away from him.

“Anyway,” he continued to Virgil as he faced Patton, “you can get the _least_ favorite next," emphasizing least to agitate Logan.

Patton looked at Virgil pleadingly. “Please, Virgil,” Virgil looked away from Patton in hurt. Patton felt tears form once more. The dragon witch prepared to destroy Patton with his black and ruby sword. Virgil averted his eyes from the scene entirely, clutching his fists.

Patton got ready to cover his eyes.

 

A flash of silver.

 

A loud poof noise.

 

Patton shut his eyes for the last time.

-o-0-o-

 _“I’m so, so sorry, my- Roman. I’m going to distract him. You have to finish him off. I trust you, even if- even if you loathe me-_ but that’s unfortunate. Goodbye Princey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confused? Conflicted? Angry? Thoughts?  
> And the answer to Timothy’s name is really honestly stupid lol. Timor is Latin for fear. Timor, Timothy. And Timothy is supposed to be representative of Virgil if he might have stayed with the sides.


End file.
